Thanks for writing this. It's something I've also thought about a lot in recent years.
My sense is that while it's objectively true that now is the best time to be alive, it's also easier than it used to be to recognize all the ways in which things could be better and get hung up on those things. I never got the sense that my parents/grandparents' generation frequently looked around and said things like, "you know, other countries have free healthcare and walkable neighborhoods,'' or, "at this point in human history, we really shouldn't still need to work full-time jobs just to survive." Older generations generally just kind of took it for granted that life can be a bit of a slog and all you can really do is make the best of it for as long as you're here. Whereas people around my age (mid-millennial) and younger seem to think more about how things could/should be rather than how they are. So even if things are actually pretty good now compared to most of human history, knowing that it could be much better just sticks in our side. I go back and forth on whether I think this is a good or bad impulse on balance.
I needed to read this...thanks for reminding us to stay vigilant while also being mindful of how far we've come... (because we sure as hell can't get work done if we feel defeated...)
Thanks for writing this. It's something I've also thought about a lot in recent years.
My sense is that while it's objectively true that now is the best time to be alive, it's also easier than it used to be to recognize all the ways in which things could be better and get hung up on those things. I never got the sense that my parents/grandparents' generation frequently looked around and said things like, "you know, other countries have free healthcare and walkable neighborhoods,'' or, "at this point in human history, we really shouldn't still need to work full-time jobs just to survive." Older generations generally just kind of took it for granted that life can be a bit of a slog and all you can really do is make the best of it for as long as you're here. Whereas people around my age (mid-millennial) and younger seem to think more about how things could/should be rather than how they are. So even if things are actually pretty good now compared to most of human history, knowing that it could be much better just sticks in our side. I go back and forth on whether I think this is a good or bad impulse on balance.
I needed to read this...thanks for reminding us to stay vigilant while also being mindful of how far we've come... (because we sure as hell can't get work done if we feel defeated...)