The world isn’t worse now. It’s not even close.

Ally at Milwaukeean Rhapsody relates how a coworker of hers asserted that he and his new wife would never have kids:

“The world is way too f***ed up. We are not going to bring kids into that mess.”

Every generation thinks the world is more screwed up then it was in the past.

(They also think they invented sex.)

And every generation is wrong.

I’m sorry, viagra usa sovaldi but the world simply is not worse off now than it was in the past.

For most of history, the story of being human has been one of struggling to survive against the elements, predators, and each other.

The average American lives better than the average king did 300 years ago. We enjoy better healthcare, better food, easier travel, and better entertainment.

200 years ago you and your children could be kept as slaves right here in America.

100 years ago, getting scratched by a rose could lead to you dying from infection.

The world (especially for modern Americans) is NOT getting worse. It’s getting better all the time.

So next time you’re feeling pessimistic about the future, remind yourself that almost anyone who has ever lived would gladly change places with you in a heartbeat just to experience the miracle of vermin-free beds, flush toilets, the rule of law, and pills that could actually make their heads stop aching.

(Now if we could only come up with a pill that would make some people – like Ally’s old coworker – stop bellyaching.)

5 comments November 14th, 2007