We are pleased to announce that the next edition of the Freedom Games will be held on October 24-26, 2025 at EXPO Lodz, and the accompanying theme will be “A Time of Uncertainty”!
Reality is unsettling.
Authoritarian powers are more and more aggressively challenging the democratic, peaceful order, while radical populists are consistently dismantling the Western alliance and destroying the liberal values of societies from within. The war in Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East, the recent pandemic, inflation and economic crises, climate change, migration pressure, and the growing potential for using artificial intelligence for disinformation threaten the foundations of the world as we know it.
How can we cope with uncertainty?
We must act. The measure of maturity is the ability to confront challenges, even when they seem insurmountable. Yet, we must avoid the naive belief that activism and effort alone can solve all problems. The world is far more chaotic than we think; challenges come unexpectedly; interests and values clash.
We must name, understand, and tame our anxieties. While we cannot predict every threat, we can and in fact should build systemic resilience that will allow us to face disasters more effectively if they come.
We must strengthen the alliance of liberal democracies, which should be politically, economically, and militarily robust enough to deter authoritarian aggressors. It is crucial to arm ourselves, look for alternative sources of energy, and forge agreements.
We must relentlessly guard individual freedoms, the rule of law, and economic liberties. When security threats arise requiring a redefinition of already existing policies, we must be especially alert to ensure that the values of liberal democracy and the frameworks that ensure stable economic growth are not lost or trampled.
We must strengthen mental resilience, raise awareness, and promote civic responsibility. A society plagued by uncertainty is a society vulnerable to manipulation, panic, poor economic decisions, and fake news.
We must cool political disputes. One of the intellectual and political elites’ weaknesses today is their tendency to swing between euphoria when they defeat nationalist populist parties in elections and despair when they lose. For democracy, such apocalyptic choices are fatal – when the stakes rise, losing is not an option, and disputes, fueled by political emotion and the power of algorithms, easily take a turn that threatens the survival of the political community.
We must seek alternative narratives that evoke communal emotions and redefine what continues to unite us. Without this, it will be difficult to face challenges that require a collective effort.
We must foster and advance culture and science as they are timeless sources of wisdom, goodness, and beauty – a remedy for uncertainty.
Today, more than ever, we need ideological initiatives, intellectual reflection, and substantive dialogue. We must reject simplistic solutions and recognize that the world is and will remain complex. Only then can we confront the unsettling reality.
This effort is what we are going to make – now for the 12th time – at the Freedom Games in Lodz, Poland, and we invite you to participate and collaborate!
Freedom Games, October 24-26, 2025, Lodz, Poland
