The discussion on social development over the last 20 years often gets bogged down in complaints or reassurances, failing to offer real solutions. The author emphasizes that assigning blame is unproductive, as collective responsibility for public affairs lies with everyone. The crucial task is to slow down, halt, and ultimately reverse the current societal decline. This necessitates a thorough inventory and balance, assessing not only negative phenomena and debts but also estimating future positive possibilities by learning from past mistakes. The text further deconstructs the concepts of 'perfection' and 'goal,' arguing that human life must strive towards what is yet to come, not merely adapt to existing conditions. While both animals and humans exhibit care for the future, this tendency is amplified in humans by consciousness and reflection, enabling deliberate decision-making and social control. Critically evaluating the past two decades requires placing them within a broader historical and temporal context. The author warns against focusing solely on individual negative phenomena or seeking specific culprits, stressing the need to compare what we have done with what we should have done. The text concludes by touching upon the generational sense of obligation and the loss of continuity with the past.