Never in the history has the world been in such a better place and it is only getting better.
I’m so glad that I took the time to update myself with new facts. It was eye-opening to know how much the world has changed. It didn’t occur to me even after consuming so much content on the economy, people and countries, I would be ignorant of the world advancement.
I can’t blame anyone but the continuous supply of media coverage of the pessimistic world. Take time to read the news, and they would be selling you how the world is going to hell in hand-basket — and fast!
Social unrest, autocratic leaders, structural unemployment, deskilling, growing hopelessness, increasing inequality, recessions, depressions — the list goes on.
When I ask my friends and family “Do you think the world is getting better?” Hardly anyone thinks the world is getting better. Yet the facts show otherwise that on virtually all of the key dimensions of human material well-being — poverty, literacy, health, freedom, and education — the world is in a remarkably better place than it was just a couple of centuries ago.
To give you an idea of the world progress; Today, those living in extreme poverty are now less than 10% compared to 75%, 1950 year. This is commendable progress considering the world population has increased seven-fold over the last two centuries.
In the western world, More women are graduating from college than men. And, across the globe, On Average, 30-year-old women have spent nine years in school, just one year shy off average men of the same age.
And, yet we see female activist expressing grief that women have it worse and underrepresented. There is no doubt there is still more to be accomplished in third world countries but what we are undergoing right now is an astounding improvement.
I believe much of the outcry has to do with old data wired-in to the mind of activists. It’s hard to change the thought that women have the same opportunity as the men to succeed given that just a few years ago they were treated differently.
The world is safer than you think. Compared to decades-old data, Despite the increase in population, there are fewer terrorist attacks, fewer rapes, more infrequent murders, fewer wars, fewer deaths by natural disasters and that cause the world has learned to take precautions and place in measures that work to prevent crimes. And yet we hear all the time in the news how it is unsafe out there. The media purposely intent to write stuff that catches more eyeballs. Unsafe Sells!
India has been given the title “The most dangerous place for women” by polls because of Sexual Harassment. Stats should crown someone else. If you dig deeper, India is ranked fourth, far behind the USA. Critics like to argue that most of India rape go undocumented because of how society will look down upon a woman with rape past. So, women intend not to disclose. Even if you take into account this assumption, India is still better, considering its population is almost 4x that of the USA. If we believe 3x rapes were undocumented (which is highly not possible), It is still behind the USA.
I didn’t take this example to scream India is better than the USA in rapes but to enlighten how media can push forward their content in a way that we start to believe there is a massive problem with a specific country.
Before checking the facts, I was under the impression that India ranks number ONE in rapes but on researching, I was surprised to know it isn’t true.
And, the rapes in USA? Well, they are declining by a great force.
Media picks up an Isolated incident and convince us that there is a bigger problem and we are doing less to control such events. It’s opposite; we are doing more than ever to fight on crucial world problems. With activism and non-profit organization getting more access to great resources and donating money getting easier than ever before. We are on the right track on defeating pressing problems.
But, why would anyone care to show things have gotten better? The idea that the world has gotten better as a whole is a problem for most. Be it a politician, corporates or media. Politicians run on the basis the world is a bitter place to live; media are lobbied to show the world is dangerous.
In 2016, 40 million aircrafts landed successfully and only 10, unfortunately, dealt with a crash. That is 0.0000025% failure, which is far lesser than getting struck by lightning living in an area experiencing lightning now and then. So, now the least possibility for you is dying on an aircraft and not “getting struck by lightning.”
We have achieved so much that our problems now revolves around “Oh! I can’t get a text back from her”, “Which car should I take for the gym?,” “Does she even likes me?”
At this point, there are actually more obese people than starving people in the world which means our problem is around giving less food to more people and giving more food to fewer people.
A few centuries back our problem was “Survival.” Every day our ancestors had to wake up to fight a battle to breathe the next day. The word “boredom” never existed.
Yes, we still have many milestones to reach. In many countries clean water, health and electricity is still a problem but not to an extent the media tries to show. Almost 80% of the world have some access to electricity now.
I decided to write this article with only one agenda in mind, to explain we should stop getting intimidated with the idea the world is coming to an end, that we have it worst, that future is harsh.
Over the years, we have crafted this planet which was given to us in the best form. I’m sure if God ever decides to visit us, he would be proud of us. For we have turned it into an amazing place to live with a minimal resource.
To know more about the world progress, I would strongly recommend you to read “FactFulness” by Hans Rosling. He covers great topics like the economy, population, education and more.
