Is This the World We Are Building?

I struggle to find the words to describe what has just happened in Britain. The people (51.9% of the voters to be exact) have voted to leave the European Union.

The public nervousness that preceded the vote has been replaced with economic uncertainty not only in Britain but also in the European Union. There's no doubt this will have a knock on effect on the rest of the world. But I don't want to talk about economics or politics. I want to talk about the state of our humankind.

Honestly, I am petrified. I feel like we are going back in time. After decades and decades of working for a more collaborative world, we are ready to throw it all down the drain. All because we believe that we'll be happier and more successful if we're more independent, isolated and in control.

What does this tell us about the state of our humankind?

• Racism, xenophobia, whatever you want to call it, is on the rise. We're encouraging the building of walls, preventing immigration and reducing diversity.
• Compassion is at risk. We are becoming hesitant to help the people who need our help the most. We try to turn a blind eye and say, "It's not our problem", rather than helping to resolve it.
• The truth is getting distorted to manipulate people into believing empty promises. Unfortunately this is a big problem with politicians everywhere. Take Nigel Farage's perfect example of the NHS (UK's public National Health Service) message they used in their "Leave" campaign. Within hours of their victorious Brexit announcement they started backing out of what they had promised to the Leave voters.
• Selfishness is on the rise. We seem to have less and less desire to work for a better world. Apparently, our desire is to simply work for our country to be better.

Now don't get me wrong. I know the European Union isn't perfect and it has its issues. But telling it to f**k off isn't the way to resolve them. Either way, it's too late for that now. What's done is done, and we need to now focus on how to move forward out of this mess.

If you, like me, are disappointed at Britain and worried about the future, I have one word for you: HOPE.

We can only hope that the "Leave" campaigners will stick to their promise of creating a better Britain.

We can only hope that the country heals from the division this campaign has created.

We can only hope this doesn't affect the rest of the EU and the world in a negative way.

We can only hope this doesn't mean we stop seeing each other - no matter the age, background, race, or colour - as anything else other than a fellow human.