A Cry from the Digital Trenches
Reflections on Our Broken World
As I sit here scrolling through endless streams of global crises, I find myself overwhelmed by a profound sense of helplessness that I suspect many of us share but rarely voice. The world feels like it's spiraling into chaos, and no matter how I try to process it all, I keep coming back to one devastating conclusion: we've collectively stopped thinking….and there is evidence [1].
The Numbers Don't Lie
The statistics are staggering and heartbreaking at the same time…
305 million people worldwide need urgent humanitarian assistance in 2025 [2].
In Sudan alone, over 30.4 million people require aid, with the conflict showing no signs of resolution[3].
The Democratic Republic of Congo, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Gaza – the list of human suffering seems endless[4][2].
We're witnessing what experts call "unprecedented levels of violence and displacement," with nearly 123 million people forcibly displaced by mid-2024[2].
Yet here we are, arguing on social media, choosing sides based on tribal loyalties rather than human compassion, and allowing our capacity for critical thinking to atrophy.
We've created a world where standardized thinking has replaced analytical reasoning, where information overload has led to emotional desensitization.
The Paradox of Our Connected Yet Disconnected World
What strikes me most is how our digital age – the very realm where I've built my career – has contributed to this crisis of empathy. We're more connected than ever, yet digital anonymity and distance have reduced our ability to empathize. The constant barrage of information has overwhelmed us to the point where we've become emotionally numb to others' suffering. At least I feel that way…
As someone who has dedicated over two decades to cybersecurity, I've always believed that protecting digital infrastructure was protecting humanity itself. But watching the world burn while I focus on strategy’s, concepts, policies, firewalls and threat detection feels increasingly hollow. 84% of cybersecurity professionals are experiencing mental fatigue, stress, and burnout [6], and I'm beginning to understand why. We're trying to secure a digital world while the human world crumbles around us.
The Weight of my own Professional Irrelevance
There's a cruel irony in being a cybersecurity expert during times like these. While I can architect sophisticated defense systems and predict attack vectors, I'm completely powerless to stop the very real attacks on human dignity happening across the globe.
The humanitarian sector itself is under cyberattack, with over 515,000 people's data compromised in attacks against organizations trying to help. We're living in a world where even those trying to save lives become targets…not only in the digital battlefield.
90% of CISOs are concerned about stress and burnout affecting their teams**[6], and I'm starting to question whether we're all just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.
When children are starving in Gaza, when families are torn apart in Ukraine, when entire populations are displaced in Sudan – what does it matter if their data is encrypted?
The Future We're Leaving Behind
What terrifies me most is what we're passing on to the next generation.
Parents now identify mental health as their top concern for their children, with 41% of young adults citing it as their greatest worry [8].
We're raising children in a world where 400 million kids live in or flee from conflict zones [2], where critical thinking skills are declining, and where empathy is being eroded…also supported by digital disconnection.
I watch my colleagues burn out at unprecedented rates – 65% of cybersecurity professionals experiencing stress and fatigue due to pressure to perform beyond their capabilities [6] – and I wonder: are we modeling resilience or despair for the next generation? Are we showing them how to build a better world, or are we just teaching them to be better guards of a broken system?
Environmental Neglect and the Nuclear Paradox
At the same time, I’m deeply troubled by how we continue to ignore the urgent need for environmental protection. We have only one planet, yet global efforts to safeguard it remain fragmented and insufficient. Meanwhile, we continue to argue bitterly over who should or should not possess nuclear weapons—a weapon of mass destruction with catastrophic potential for all life on Earth.
In my personal opinion: NO ONE should have nuclear weapons, and no notion, ideology, or race should be considered superior to others. The very idea of superiority fuels conflict and division, undermining our ability to unite for the common good of humanity and the planet we all share.
A Professional Crisis of Faith
Maybe I chose the wrong profession. Maybe instead of learning to build digital walls, I should have learned to build bridges between people. Maybe instead of studying threat landscapes, I should have studied human psychology and conflict resolution. The decline in critical thinking and the rise of digital disconnection feel like threats far more dangerous than any malware.
But then I remember that eight in ten Americans believe social media can be effective for raising awareness about important issues [9], and I realize that perhaps the tools I understand – the digital platforms, the networks, the systems – could be part of the solution if we could just remember how to use our brains again.
My Personal Plea
Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate… leads to suffering.
I don't have answers.
I don't have solutions.
I only have questions and a heavy heart.
How do we teach critical thinking in a world that rewards conformity?
How do we restore empathy in an age of digital distance?
How do we protect our children's future when we can't even protect their present?
All I know is that we need to start thinking again – really thinking – about what kind of world we're creating and what kind of legacy we're leaving. Because right now, from where I sit in my cybersecurity-bunker I call my “career”, watching the world burn through screens and dashboards, it feels like we've lost our way entirely.
Maybe that's the first step: admitting we're lost. Maybe that's where we start using our brains again.
To be clear:
these are my personal reflections, not a political statement or an expression of bias. This is simply a deep, personal conclusion drawn from my own experience and concern for our shared future.
#GlobalCrisis #HumanityFirst #CriticalThinking #NextGeneration #ProfessionalReflection
Here are some sources to support my claim, for the „keepers of the broken system“:
[1] The Lack of Critical Thinking Skills in Today's Society ... - LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lack-critical-thinking-skills-todays-society-impact-results-richards-wlfdc
[2] 2025: A Year of Unprecedented Humanitarian Challenges - Intersos https://www.intersos.org/en/2025-a-year-of-unprecedented-humanitarian-challenges/
[3] The ten worst humanitarian crises to know in 2025 https://www.concern.net/news/worlds-worst-humanitarian-crises
[4] 2025 Emergency Watchlist | The IRC https://www.rescue.org/watchlist
[5] Declining Empathy in the Digital Age: An Analytical Perspective https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/declining-empathy-digital-age-analytical-perspective-kolodziej-bbgec
[6] Battling Burnout: A Growing Concern for CISOs and Security ... https://www.secureworld.io/industry-news/battling-burnout-ciso-cybersecurity
[7] Hacked: Cybersecurity in the humanitarian sector https://www.genevapolicyoutlook.ch/hacked-cybersecurity-in-the-humanitarian-sector/
[8] [PDF] What The Future: Parenting | Ipsos https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2024-02/What-The-Future-Parenting.pdf
[9] Americans think social media can help build movements, but can ... https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2020/09/09/americans-think-social-media-can-help-build-movements-but-can-also-be-a-distraction/
[10] The Far-Reaching Impact of Global Conflict on Mental Health https://wellbeings.org/the-far-reaching-impact-of-global-conflict-on-mental-health/
[11] From burnout to balance: Supporting the mental health of ... - Kyndryl https://www.kyndryl.com/de/de/perspectives/articles/2024/10/cybersecurity-mental-health
[12] Prioritizing Mental Health for Cybersecurity Professionals https://onspring.com/blog/prioritizing-mental-health-for-cybersecurity-professionals/
[13] Addressing Burnout and Anxiety in the Tech Industry https://www.mastersindatascience.org/resources/burnout-anxiety-tech-industry/
[14] Boosting Cybersecurity Team Purpose and Engagement - LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/advice/1/what-do-you-your-organization-lacks-sense-purpose-qtvpe
[15] Global Humanitarian Overview 2025 [EN/AR/FR/ES] - OCHA https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/world/global-humanitarian-overview-2025-enarfres
[16] The top 10 crises the world can't ignore in 2025 | The IRC https://www.rescue.org/article/top-10-crises-world-cant-ignore-2025
[17] March update | Global Humanitarian Overview 2025 Monthly Updates https://humanitarianaction.info/document/global-humanitarian-overview-2025-monthly-updates/article/march-update-0
[18] Cybersecurity Is Battling A Mental Health Crisis - ISMS.online https://www.isms.online/cyber-security/cybersecurity-is-battling-a-mental-health-crisis-heres-how-to-solve-it/
[19] 2023 Volume 48 Cybersecurity and Burnout The ... - ISACA https://www.isaca.org/resources/news-and-trends/newsletters/atisaca/2023/volume-48/cybersecurity-and-burnout-the-cybersecurity-professionals-silent-enemy
[20] Cybersecurity workers facing mental health issues, 'burnout' - IAPP https://iapp.org/news/b/cybersecurity-workers-confronting-increased-stress-and-burnout-due-to-work-demands