like, helmet laws, AIG, drug laws, gun laws, cheap credit for houses, free healthcare and on and on and on
its rather amazing that the human population and standard of living skyrocketed in the centuries preceding without any of that stuff…and they seem to have been more or less just as happy as we are now on average.
So the standard of living improved but did we get smarter too? Or just greedier?
How do you figure the standard of living skyrocketed in the CENTURIES preceding? Standards of living remained virtually unchanged until the industrial revolution.
as far as population
1800 1 billion
1930 2 billion
1975 4 billion
2000 6 billion
And as far as happiness, I’m not sure how you are measuring that but I would guess that you didn’t work in a coal mine or textile mill at age 10, lose most of your siblings to childhood disease before they were 5 and your parents had the choice of sending you to a free ( public) school. Your mom was probably even allowed to vote.
So we can assume that you don’t use any of the modern conveniences such as a credit card, checking account,auto or home loan, health insurance, publicly funded education, 911 emergency service, and that you will happily refuse medicare and social security when you turn 65?
It’s only because you have access to all this ‘unnecessary’ stuff that you feel free to say you don’t need it. Ask the other 80% of the world who doesn’t have this stuff and you might get a different perspective on life.
Ask the other 80% of the world who doesn’t have this stuff and you might get a different perspective on life.
Maybe. However, whenever you see those rankings of the Happiest Countries or a Happiness Index, the U.S. and a number of other western democracies, which supposedly have it all, are not near the top.
Jack,
It’s at times like this that I often think it would be helpful to buy people tickets to say, Vietnam, India, Kenya or some other populous third world developing country - have them stay there for a week and get these people to do certain basic things that in their day to day life in the West they take for granted with out outside help of any kind. Cash a check. Catch a bus. Book a plane ticket. Shop at a market. Obtain a travel Visa. Place a long distance phone call. Get a loan. Find emergency medical help. . . and so on. After they do this, I am sure that they would come home with a new appreciation for their own lives and how “bad” life may be!
The reality is in the grand scheme of things, we are the gifted few. By luck of birth and location we have won the world lottery. We have it pretty darn good. The unfortunate thing is, how few people actually know this.
By luck of birth and location we have won the world lottery.
no, not by luck.
by the calculated application of political and military might by the leaders of our countries for centuries before we were born.
Beer’s been around a really long time.
By luck of birth and location we have won the world lottery.
no, not by luck.
by the calculated application of political and military might by the leaders of our countries for centuries before we were born.
The calculated application of political and military might caused you to be born into Western civilization during the 20th century?
If so, then you must be The Chosen One! Sally forth from the Lavender Room and claim your rightful throne!
by the calculated application of political and military might by the leaders of our countries for centuries before we were born.
No doubt. However, I am talking about the here and the now. What’s going on today!
I think that many could do with a good dose of reality - of how really good they have it. That’s all. Many don’t have a clue!
nick, there are a lot of videos on TED.com I think you should view.
The one with Mike Rowe would be a good start, then search on “happiness” and view the rest.
Progress has certainly been made on Earth. Civil rights, abolition of slavery, reduced rates of warfare, etc.
I’m just not sure that hysterical concerns about safety and comfort are part of that progress
How do you figure the standard of living skyrocketed in the CENTURIES preceding? Standards of living remained virtually unchanged until the industrial revolution.
as far as population
1800 1 billion
1930 2 billion
1975 4 billion
2000 6 billion
And as far as happiness, I’m not sure how you are measuring that but I would guess that you didn’t work in a coal mine or textile mill at age 10, lose most of your siblings to childhood disease before they were 5 and your parents had the choice of sending you to a free ( public) school. Your mom was probably even allowed to vote.
So we can assume that you don’t use any of the modern conveniences such as a credit card, checking account,auto or home loan, health insurance, publicly funded education, 911 emergency service, and that you will happily refuse medicare and social security when you turn 65?
It’s only because you have access to all this ‘unnecessary’ stuff that you feel free to say you don’t need it. Ask the other 80% of the world who doesn’t have this stuff and you might get a different perspective on life.
Indeed
If every american could sample 4 or 5 countries at random for 3 months
They sure as hell wouldn’t
freak out and support a reduction of civil rights because of a few terrorist attacks
freak out and support corporate bailouts because a few banks were going bankrupt
freak out and get upset if I ride without a helmet occasionally
=)
by the calculated application of political and military might by the leaders of our countries for centuries before we were born.
No doubt. However, I am talking about the here and the now. What’s going on today!
I think that many could do with a good dose of reality - of how really good they have it. That’s all. Many don’t have a clue!
**Ask the other 80% of the world who doesn’t have this stuff and you might get a different perspective on life. **
That is a very common thing to hear in America but my experience has shown this is completely false, it’s only what people here think.
I have been in many 3rd world countries and can tell you firsthand that the people, particularly the children, are far happier than those in America and it has nothing to do with stuff. While we spend our time trying to make money to buy stuff (and then spend the other half of our lives trying to protect it) they spend more time with family/friends.
When you take away the stuff you are left with relationships, and that makes people far happier and with more fulfilling lives.
Ignore what the marketers tell you and go travel, it will be an eye opener.
I noticed this in West Africa as well. By and large, the people I met were what we considered poor, but also very happy. They spent more time with their families and friends, and less time worrying about whatever the latest thing they needed was. Life moved at a much slower pace.