Understanding ourselves in an age of anxiety | Yuval Noah Harari

Tile: Understanding ourselves in an age of anxiety | Yuval Noah Harari & Professor Cheng Lesong
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDAGDLCtpzU
Event Date: 26/3/2025

Key questions: can history help humanity process collective trauma? what does it mean to be human in the era of artificial intelligence? And have we already opened the Pandora’s box of AI? two professors discuss these issues through the lenses of Eastern and Western traditions.

Key notes:
Harari explores how rapid technological, political, and social change in the 21st century is driving widespread anxiety and confusion — and why understanding ourselves is more important than ever.
Reflection about being treated as ‘gifted’ students: human shouldn't be defined by intellectual skills, also emotional intelligence
Harari said he’s moderately optimistic - as a historian, he's here to add a warning. Neither optimistic (undermine responsibility, dangerous) nor pessimistic (that’s not helpful, not adding value)l pick the middle path (realize there're difficult futures, however nothing is determined yet, there's no god, we're not doomed. Do the right thing at individual basis is not enough, this require enough people make right decisions…
AI revolution -> define correct agents. creating potentially new super intellectual AI agent/independent. This is not the previous technological breakthrough, the outcome & use case are moving so fast that even the owner of these businesses are so scared that they cannot trust other human competitors to slow it down
Blackbox/pandrora's box: subjectivity in AI engine, desire of AI is driven by human…
We understand human, so that we can trust human...at the same time, we know the human nature, therefore there's distrust in human…
We are creating a new species, but unsure about what's the cost behind the trust…
Accept real self: we can't do everything, humble to accept weakness...

Key Ideas:
Humans in Crisis Are Storytelling Beings: Harari emphasizes that humans navigate the world through stories—religions, ideologies, and brands are all constructed narratives we use to make sense of chaos. In an age of anxiety, these narratives often collapse or conflict, leaving individuals unmoored.
Technological Acceleration ≠ Psychological Progress: While we’ve advanced technologically, our emotional and psychological resilience hasn't kept up. This mismatch breeds confusion and anxiety. AI and biotechnology now challenge our notions of identity, agency, and even the meaning of being human.
The Collapse of Shared Narratives: Liberalism, nationalism, and religion once gave people a sense of meaning. In their erosion, we see a vacuum filled by tribalism, disinformation, and individualism—sometimes resulting in polarization and loss of shared reality.
Anxiety as a Feature, Not a Bug: Harari argues anxiety is a rational response to a volatile, unpredictable world. But instead of numbing it, we need to investigate it—what is it trying to tell us? What stories do we need to update?
Inner Stability > External Certainty: In a world where institutions are shaky, knowing ourselves becomes essential. Self-awareness—about our fears, needs, and conditioning—becomes a political and spiritual act. Meditation and introspection aren’t luxury retreats, but survival tools.

Key quotes:
“Humans think in stories rather than facts, numbers, or equations.”
“The most important thing you need to know about yourself is what story you’re living in.”
“The future of humanity depends on our ability to tell better stories—about who we are, and who we want to become.”

Takeaways:
We’re living in a transition period, where many inherited structures no longer serve us.
Anxiety isn’t a sign of weakness, but an invitation to re-examine our narratives.
Amid global complexity, cultivating emotional intelligence and inner grounding is as critical as technical skills.