Why does everything feel unstable?

Things feel unstable because they are unstable.

You’re not imagining it. You’re not being dramatic. You’re not “doomscrolling yourself into a panic.” Much of what we see in the world outside our homes and communities is breaking down – and the reason so many of us have been questioning ourselves is because the people who have power and responsibility keep speaking and acting as if nothing is wrong.

Government isn’t functioning. Politics isn’t working. The public sector isn’t delivering. The prices of everything are becoming increasingly unaffordable. People sound angrier than they used to. The world outside our doors doesn’t feel safe.

And while there are plenty of loud voices shouting about what’s wrong, very few of them offer ideas or solutions that actually sound like they would work. Most of what we hear either feels too simplistic or too complex to make any sense of.

I’m not going to try to talk you through every reason things have become as unstable as they are – not here. There’s simply too much to cover, and trying to cram it all into one place would overwhelm you rather than help. If you want to understand what’s happening, why it has happened, and what we all need to start thinking about next, I can point you to other pieces that will help you ask the right questions and find your footing.

What you do need right now is space. Space to think. Space to ask questions. Space to connect with people who are putting reason before fear and who want to find a way forward that works for everyone – not just for themselves.

And you shouldn’t feel bad for asking this question. Many others are having the same thoughts and feelings you are.

Mainstream media talks around the edges of what matters, touching the surface but rarely explaining anything in a way that helps. Social media is full of people saying the things we want to hear – confirming that our feelings are real – but that’s usually where it stops.

The time has come to look, ask, read, listen, consider, and act in ways that make sense to you, rather than relying on what someone else says.

You’re not alone in feeling this way. And you’re not wrong to ask.