Paolo, you often question where humanity is headed when some people think milk comes from the fridge, money from the ATM, and petrol from the pump—could you elaborate?

Exactly! When I ask people to reflect on where we’re headed as humans—especially when there are people who genuinely believe that milk comes from the fridge, money from the ATM, and petrol from the pump—I’m highlighting the growing disconnect between society and the real sources of the things we depend on. It’s not just about ignorance or naivety—it’s a symptom of a larger problem, a kind of detachment from reality that makes us vulnerable, passive, and unprepared for the challenges ahead.

Think about it: when you believe that milk just appears in the fridge, that money magically comes out of an ATM, or that petrol is just waiting at the pump, you’re living in a bubble. It’s a life of surface-level thinking, where we take for granted the complex systems, labor, and resources that make these conveniences possible. This mindset is dangerous because it breeds complacency. If you don’t understand where your food, your energy, or your wealth comes from, how can you possibly appreciate its value? More importantly, how can you navigate a world where these systems are starting to break down, where supply chains fail, economies wobble, and resources become scarce?

We’ve become so detached from the reality of production, creation, and resource management that we’ve lost touch with the fundamentals of survival. Milk doesn’t come from the fridge—it comes from farms, from animals, from a supply chain that involves farmers, logistics, and infrastructure. Money doesn’t just appear in your hands—it’s part of a larger, fragile economic system built on trust, work, and fluctuating markets. And petrol? It’s the product of an entire global industry that’s rapidly unsustainable and, at some point, will need to be replaced with more viable energy sources.

When people don’t understand these connections, they’re living in a world of illusion, relying on systems they don’t see or think about. That’s not just ignorance—it’s a form of blind dependence. And here’s the problem: when you live in this bubble of convenience, you’re ill-prepared for the reality that those systems aren’t invincible. They can and will break down. What happens when there’s no milk on the shelves, when money isn’t as easy to access, or when energy becomes more expensive and less available? You’re not equipped to deal with it because you’ve never thought about where these things come from in the first place.

This isn’t just a rant about people not knowing the source of things. It’s a deeper call to wake up and become more aware of the world we live in. We’re facing global challenges—climate change, economic instability, resource depletion—that require us to be more connected to the realities of how things work. If people think milk just appears, how can they care about the crisis in agriculture or food scarcity? If they think money is infinite, how can they understand the depth of inequality or the fragility of our economic systems? If petrol is just there at the pump, why would they think deeply about renewable energy and the future of the planet?

My point is, we need to stop living in this surface-level existence, where convenience masks complexity. We need to reconnect with the systems that make life possible—whether that’s understanding how food is produced, how money circulates, or how energy is generated. The more disconnected we become, the less prepared we are for the inevitable disruptions in those systems. And let’s be real: those disruptions are already happening.

This lack of awareness also impacts our ability to innovate. When you don’t understand the source of things, you’re not in a position to solve the bigger problems. You can’t innovate for the future if you don’t appreciate the challenges of the present. We need a generation that understands the roots of our existence, that knows where things come from and can reimagine better systems. Not just relying on the fridge, the ATM, or the pump, but thinking about how we can create sustainable alternatives for all these things.

So, when I ask where we’re headed as humans if we think this way, I’m really asking people to wake up to the reality around them. To stop living in this false sense of security and start engaging with the world. Because if we don’t understand where things come from, we’re going to be in serious trouble when those systems start to fail. And they will, if we don’t start paying attention, learning, and taking responsibility for the world we live in.