The world is one big high school cafeteria and that’s a good thing.

In November, Jeffrey Goldberg interviewed Barack Obama in The Atlantic. It’s a great interview. Near the end, President Obama explains how the world is just like high school.

“You’re in high school and you see all the cliques and bullying and unfairness and superficiality, and you think, Once I’m grown up I won’t have to deal with that anymore. And then you get to the state legislature and you see all the nonsense and stupidity and pettiness. And then you get to Congress and then you get to the G20, and at each level you have this expectation that things are going to be more refined, more sophisticated, more thoughtful, rigorous, selfless, and it turns out it’s all still like high school.”

It’s all still like high school.

In other words, nobody knows what they are doing. Everybody’s human and — even at the G20 summit — cliquey, unfair, and superficial.

For most people, it’s a depressing thought. President Obama thinks differently. Here’s what he says next.

“This should be empowering for people.”

What?

Why?

Let me explain.

If everybody is anxious, confused, and scared — including the people in charge — then it’s okay for you to feel the same way. It’s a reminder to be gentle to others and yourself.

Today, I think this insight is particularly helpful. Science saved us this year, but our experts also let us down. Trust in institutions is near an all-time low.

But, what if the problem isn’t the institutions or the experts? It’s our expectations. Congress feels like a high school cafeteria because, at the end of the day, it’s just another room full of humans. If we doubt our leaders, it’s okay. We also doubt ourselves. So, lower your expectations for the heroes and experts. Doubt, but don’t lose faith.

At least, that’s President Obama’s advice. Here’s how the interview ends.

Human dynamics are surprisingly constant. They take different forms. It turns out that the same strengths people have — flaws and foibles that people have — run across cultures and are part of politics. This should be empowering for people.

My ideal reader is some 25-year-old kid who is starting to be curious about the world and wants to do something that has some meaning. I want them to read [my book]and say, ‘Okay, this is not all rocket science; this is something I could contribute to and make a difference in.”

Flaws and foibles are what make us human. So, if you’d like to make the world a better place, but feel paralyzed by combination of curiosity and doubt, welcome to the club. It might not be the cool kids table in the cafteria, but there’s a former President waiting for you.