What story do we tell ourselves about humanity? A pessimistic story of shame at our shortcomings, or a story of pride at our achievements? We are faced with a paradox: while the world is objectively getting better all the time, we seem to have lost faith in ourselves and in humanity's progress. In unpacking this paradox, we examine the strange power of negative news, humanity as a clumsy but well-meaning adolescent, the surprising idealism of those who argue that humanity is failing, and the power of an aspirational narrative.