In the Great Panic of early 2020, normal life was replaced by a new society, managed by a medical/ruling elite that promised but failed to deliver virus mitigation. In Australia, rules that were sold to us as “for the greater good” in fact delivered horrific losses that will cripple us for a generation. Yet the upheavals of the past three years were powered by tensions that pre-date Covid-19, including declining living standards and rising pessimism. As economies continue to recover from the catastrophe of Covid-19 lockdowns, we must re-embrace the pursuit of progress, an idea that is central to science, freedom, and a thriving society. - Watch UNSW's Professor Gigi Foster and earn 0.25 CE/CPD hrs on Portfolio Construction Forum