I would like to begin with a disclaimer: I am not an expert, only a student of medicine and public health and for nearly two decades, I have observed human beings in their physical, mental and social dimensions.

That does not make me an authority, only observant. I wanted to sound frustrated when I sat down to write this, but then I wondered—does it matter? Frustration is a luxury; questions are not. I have many, though I am unsure who will answer. As a millennial, I have witnessed transitions our grandparents could scarcely imagine: wars broadcast in real time, disasters that erased cities overnight, a global pandemic that confined humanity indoors, political upheavals and a technological revolution placing the world in our palms. We adapted because we had to, learning new skills, survival languages and ways of coping. Survival became second nature.

Yet somewhere along the way, a deeper unease settled in. The global order, whether one calls it capitalism, neoliberalism or simply the way the world now functions, resembles a furnace. The poor are the primary fuel, cheap coal that burns quickly and leaves little trace. The middle class are slightly better quality wood, sandal or oud perhaps, offering a more refined flame. And........

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