The Fractured Cosmos: How Extremes Are Tearing Humanity Apart

New Delhi [India], February 8 (ANI): America has made its choice. With Donald Trump’s second term, the nation has anointed a man who denigrates the every day, and diminishes the sacred values that elevate us–decency, empathy, largesse, kindness, grace. These are not just abstract virtues; they are the fragile threads that hold the human mosaic together, threads now frayed and torn. Alongside him, an unelected co-leader ascends: Elon Musk, a man whose power does not come from the people but from his wealth–a wealth built on the backs of those whom he neither sees nor acknowledges. Musk’s influence extends beyond his titles, a shadowy force reshaping policies and public will without ever being on a ballot. Together, these men are steering America toward dangerous waters, with boldness that is not bravery but bravado, and a recklessness that cares little for the world they leave behind.

This is the peril of our times: a world that is increasingly shaped by those who do not serve but seek to control, who amass fortunes not to build but to hoard, who wield power not to uplift but to oppress. Across the globe, strongmen rise, their rhetoric roaring louder than their actions, their promises hollow, their hearts colder than the steel they so often use to build their empires. The result is a planet cracking under the weight of their ambitions. National identities are being eroded, not by the natural currents of globalization but by deliberate policies that divide, polarize, and destroy. Geopolitics, once a space where noble ideas found breath, is now suffocating under the stranglehold of greed and divisive politicking.

It reminds me of something I wrote once, about what I called the TTC bus syndrome. Picture a crowded bus in Toronto, its passengers comfortably seated, heading to their destinations. Outside, more people wait, desperate for a chance to board. Those inside, who were once outside themselves, find it inconvenient to make room. Their destination is secure, their journey uninterrupted, and in their comfort, they forget the struggle of those left behind. This is the story of humanity today–a bus full of the privileged few, oblivious to the pain of those still standing at the curb. It is a disease, this mindset of “I’ve got mine, and that’s all that matters,” a disease that infects not just individuals but entire nations and ideologies.

You see it everywhere. In America, where Trump’s America First agenda has turned into America Alone. In Europe, where nations teeter on the brink, torn apart by internal voices of fascism and xenophobia. In the Middle East, where injustice burns hotter than the desert sun, silenced by regimes that prioritize economic control over human dignity. In workplaces, where diversity, equity, and inclusion–words that should sing with the promise of a richer, kinder world–are now dismissed as inconveniences, acronyms stripped of their soul. This is a world that has forgotten the power of interconnectedness, the beauty of shared humanity, and the strength we draw not from division but from unity.

And yet, there are moments of light. There are times when the darkness seems to part when a glimpse of what could be emerges. I found such a moment in my own country, India, during its G20 leadership under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With the slogan Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam–the world is one family–India offered the world a vision of what we could be if only we remembered that our fates are intertwined. It was a reminder that the suffering of one affects us all, and that no nation can truly thrive while others falter. One people. One global family. One shared future. It is a simple idea, yet profound in its implications, and in this moment of peril, it offers a roadmap for a better way forward.

But noble ideas cannot survive without noble leaders. And too often, the leaders who inherit these ideals are not worthy of them. They wear them like cloaks, hiding their true intentions, twisting their purpose until they are unrecognizable. This is how we find ourselves here, in a world ready to change, dying to change, needing to change–yet utterly leaderless. It is a world where the old institutions, from the United Nations to NATO, are failing, not because they are flawed but because those who steer them have no vision, no courage, no grace.

It is a tragedy because humanity has always thrived on diversity–not just in our cultures, races, and religions, but in our ideas. It is the clash of perspectives, the dialogue of differences, that has driven our greatest achievements. But today, that dialogue has been replaced by shouting matches, by echo chambers where we hear only what we want to hear. Social media, with its algorithms and outrage, has turned us inward, away from the complexity of the world and into the simplicity of our own biases. The result is a society that is increasingly unwilling to listen, to understand, to bridge the gaps that divide us.

This is not just a failure of systems but a failure of humanity. We have allowed ourselves to be led astray by narratives of fear and division, by leaders who sell us the lie that safety lies in sameness, that strength lies in exclusion. We have forgotten that the very things that make us human–our empathy, our curiosity, our capacity for connection–are the things that make us strong.

But the choice is still ours to make. We can continue down this path, retreating further into our silos, or we can remember the lessons of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. We can choose to open the doors of the bus, to make room for those still waiting, to build a world where no one is left behind. This is not an easy path, but it is the only path that leads to a future worth having.

The way forward requires courage–not just from our leaders but from all of us. It requires us to reject the binaries of extremism, to embrace the complexity of our shared existence. It requires us to listen, to act, to lead–not with cruelty but with kindness. It requires us to see each other, not as enemies but as fellow travelers on this journey of life, bound together by the fragile, beautiful threads of our shared humanity.

And so I call on you, the reader, not to lose hope. Because even in the darkest of times, the light of humanity endures. It endures in the voices of those who dare to speak truth, even when it is inconvenient. It endures in the actions of those who choose to help, even when it is difficult. It endures in the hearts of those who believe, as I do, that the world can be better, that we can be better.

This is not just a dream. It is a promise, a covenant we make with one another every day when we choose to live with decency, generosity, and grace. Let us honor that promise. Let us rebuild the cosmic fabric of our shared existence, so that we might shine together once more. Let us be the light that guides humanity away from the brink, and toward the brighter, better world we all deserve. (ANI/ Suvir Saran)

Disclaimer: Suvir Saran is a Masterchef, Author, Hospitality Consultant And Educator. The views expressed in this article are his own.