EVERY day, many of us strive to advance, using our potential to improve our worth and leave a lasting impact.
The reason for this is that humans naturally seek progress. At its best, it arises from a combination of hard work, ethical principles, and a genuine desire to improve the world. This progressive, human-centered view sees individuals and communities succeed as one: people use their skills, contribute and take only what’s needed from nature so others can prosper. However, a contemporary worry focuses on a shift from humanism to realism in progress. Realists praise production, consumption, and influence. A realist perspective views the planet and its people as assets to exploit. They cannot distinguish between using and taking advantage of resources. Utilization means using resources sustainably, whereas exploitation is excessive and unethical.
Exploitation is now normal, all in the name of progress, and people suffer because of it. This exploitation manifests in various ways throughout the world. Instead of using human and natural resources, the modern world exploits them, leading to exhaustion. Wealthy nations keep taking labour and raw material from the global South. Researchers calculate the South loses $2.2 trillion annually, with a hidden transfer of $62 trillion since 1960, which would be $152 trillion if it remained there. Wealthy nations maintain high living standards by taking from poorer ones. So, progress today is a cover for exploitation. Internationally, colonialism and its descendants have formalized the exploitation of resources. Historical records show that European industry was funded by plantations on stolen land, worked by enslaved Africans and indentured Asians. Despite the end of colonial empires, the economic frameworks supporting unequal exchange endure.
Wealthy countries use institutions to control wages and material costs. The global South loses fourteen dollars for every aid dollar via secret transfers. The talk of aid masks a significant backward wealth movement. In Gaza, it’s evident that powerful nations use the notion of “progress” to oppress and exploit the innocent, stripping them of their lands. The Israeli military’s actions between October 2023 and late 2024, as documented in Human Rights Watch’s 2025 world report, led to over 44,000 deaths and over 104,000 injuries in the Gaza Strip. Almost all Palestinians were displaced, and they struggled to get food and avoid starvation. The UN confirmed that women and children accounted for 70% of the 8,200 deaths, according to the report. Israel’s use of lethal force in the West Bank caused the deaths of 719 Palestinians during the same time. Arrest warrants for Israeli leaders were later issued by the International Criminal Court due to accusations of war crimes. These statistics reveal how a fake “security” or “progress” narrative can hide brutal killings of innocent civilians in Palestine.
Nowhere might the climate crisis better show the curse of misguided progress. Fossil fuels boosted industry, promising wealth, but wrecked the planet. Extreme weather shows the connection between environmental harm and human suffering. The disastrous floods that hit Pakistan, India and Bangladesh were partly caused by a 2022 heatwave in India and Pakistan. Climate change is blamed by scientists for the flooding, who say the Indus Basin is highly vulnerable to heat, melting ice, and increased air moisture. These occurrences aren’t isolated; they show a system that exploits nature with no boundaries. Burning forests for biomass energy, considered renewable in Europe, has led to new supply chains that cause deforestation in developing countries. The Amazon’s forest loss has been made worse by illegal logging, land grabbing, and policies that favour commercial activity. For instance, forests cover almost a third of Earth’s land and provide clean water, air, and jobs for billions. Deforestation and forest degradation are diminishing these benefits, as noted by WWF in 2024, 16.6 million acres of tropical primary rainforest were lost due to logging, livestock grazing, and poorly planned infrastructure. Over 17% of the Amazon has already been cleared for cattle ranching, gold, and oil extraction. Exploitation, not utilization, turns progress into a curse for humans. Cutting down forests diminishes the Earth’s ability to absorb CO2 and messes up water cycles, making droughts and floods more common. Here’s the pattern of modern progress: It prioritizes wealth and power, resulting in exploitation, inequality, and environmental damage. Lifestyles in the North are indirectly funded by the South’s exploitation. Climate catastrophes are triggered by the exploitation of land, forests, and water. Regions become battlefields because of human rights exploitation. This type of “progress” is a curse because it weakens the basis for future advancement.
This pattern is also seen in interpersonal dynamics. When trust is present, people give their time, knowledge or work to help others. This has always, by custom, served to make social bonds stronger. But, a materialist mindset makes human interactions feel transactional. They seek the constant attention of mentors or friends, then depart and criticize the contributing souls. They don’t see that money can’t substitute effort and time, and success through exploiting kindness leaves the exploiter empty. Progress should revert to its humanistic foundations. A society’s worth is in how it cares for its vulnerable, protects dignity, and preserves the planet. That means respecting the regenerative limits of nature, valuing the time and labour of others that sustain social life, and ensuring that technological and economic advances do not come at the expense of another community’s survival. Nations should stop exploiting and start working together fairly. Only then can we greet a beautiful dawn, confident in genuine progress that excludes exploitation.
—The writer is Commoner from 44th Common Educationist — Founder of WHI Institute.based in Sargodha.
