My first week of book promotion is done. People keep asking why I’m not posting on X. Since Twitter changed hands and now bears a name that feels like the signature of an illiterate person, it has become a pit where people who never listen splatter their anger over each other in an endless, pointless loop. Shouting has become easier than listening.

Yet every major change in history began when people decided to listen instead of fight.
In the Netherlands, last month we had elections. The same parties now trying to form a coalition were, not long ago, bitter opponents. Across the ocean, the divide seems even deeper, not only political but moral and emotional.

History shows what happens when societies stop listening. In the Roman Empire, reformers and conservatives clashed until civil wars tore the state apart. The American Civil War divided a nation over slavery and freedom.
The pattern repeats: Spain, Weimar Germany, Yugoslavia, Rwanda. Neighbors become enemies, and what remains is shame over what was said, done, or left unsaid. In Germany and Italy, despair opened the door to dictatorship.

Every sensible person knows that polarization is destructive, yet it seems deeply rooted in us. Psychologist Jonathan Haidt found that we judge first and reason later, like a rider on an elephant. The rider (reason) believes he’s in control, but it’s the elephant (intuition) that chooses where to go. We don’t use arguments to seek truth but to defend our tribe.

Political scientist Karen Stenner adds that some people have a deep need for order and clarity. When the world changes too fast or too many voices speak at once, they look for leaders who promise calm and unity. Polarization grows when this longing for stability collides with the chaos of globalization, migration, and the digital storm.

We see it everywhere. Social media reward outrage, not understanding. Algorithms strengthen our certainties and filter out doubt. People seek affirmation in their bubbles and become addicted to moral superiority.

In my books I write about the future. I listen to people who are trying to solve the world’s biggest problems, and when I hear them, I’m struck by how slowly we are moving in the right direction.

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