Eric,
You seem much too thoughtful about these deeper issues of Life on Earth to be an "average joe."
Firstly, I'd like to recommend 2 great documentaries, if you haven't already seen them, Zeitgesit: Moving Forward & Transcendent Man
and
. These two films both explore what the future might hold for Humans from two quite different and also in many ways similar perspectives.
The growth of technology, the tools of man, are the things that both help us do things never before possible, but also create new threats to our species (and many others') survival on this planet.
Terrence McKenna said that maybe we are "burning all our bridges on the road to infinity." This is the perspective, that with the arrival of unprecedented technological breakthroughs like the emergence of AI, global communication via the internet and exponentially greater and cheaper power sources on the horizon (like efficient solar power, which is getting better every year), that we may yet be able to solve all of the problems we have created for ourselves, materially, on this planet.
The other point you made, of how there is so much prejudice and unnecessary suffering on this planet still, is certainly a spiritual problem, which improved technology may not solve... However, a lot of research suggests that most of the worlds suffering does stem from "scarcity" and this is EXACTLY what improved technology is best at eliminating! Look at the graphs of the average Human life span over the course of Human history, our species used to average around a 30 year lifespan. With improvements in science and technology in health, agriculture, etc. this number is for the first time in Human history in 1st world countries is around 80 and in the poorest countries close to 50.
Of course, while we are living longer on average, we are also adding poisons to the air, water and food in many places on Earth. But this is due to GREED and FEAR of one corporation dying, capitalist competition, dog eat dog... this all stems from the idea that there is "only enough to go around"... technological improvements will continue to alleviate this problem.
However, most scarcity on Earth today is not truly real. Very much of it is manufactured or perceived scarcity. Like the diamond industry... if DeBeers opened all of "their diamonds" to the free market, diamond's might loose their value overnight by 1000%!! This is also what happens in the oil industry and with the "planned obsolescence" of cell phones and computers, made to break in 1-3 years so you will have to buy another or pay for constant tech support...
Spiritual action and improving one's own state of consciousness matters greatly. Technology will unfold and evolve regardless, and is mostly slowed down by all of these weird greed and fear motivated actions of corporations... Spiritual growth of the individual ripples out, and helps all.
Personally, I'm very hopeful about the future of the Human Race! Here's a beautiful quote about optimism from one of my favorite authors.
We all come from the same source. We are all made out of BIG BANG SUPER HOT/DENSE/POWERFUL ENERGY!!!! Before the Big Bang, it is said that our Universe existed in a state of INFINITE POSSIBILITIES! Perhaps this state is God? Perhaps since we all come from this, we are all God?
Ram Dass said we are all "God in drag." And he said that when someone would challenge him, or appear to be an "enemy" he would tell himself, this person is God in drag... and ask himself, what lesson is my Guru trying to teach me through this form?
Anyway, that's my take on this as an "average art"