A World Held Captive

The ancient Greek Myth of Daedalus and Icarus tell the fascinating tale of a daring attempt to gain freedom. That which was supposed to set Icarus free ultimately imprisoned him even further. Sadly, there are many parallels between this story and that of mankind. How many inventions, movements and peace treaties have come along which have promised to set us free, yet the end result is the opposite? To put it another way, in terms of solving the worlds most basic problems, how often does it feel as though we take three steps forward, only to fall five more back?

What is holding the world back from achieving lasting peace and prosperity, from ending pain, suffering, poverty and disease? Why does it seem our world is held captive?