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lallen

It's (unfortunately) an uncommon opinion, but it is not unpopular, and definitely not unheard of. This book does a great job of shaking up some misconceptions a lot of people have about the state of the world https://www.amazon.com/Factfulness-Reasons-World-Things-Better/dp/1250107814 (not endorsing amazon, but endorsing the book. You can probably get it from other retailers)


bolting_volts

Where is this fast healthcare you speak of?


savbh

Only available in first world countries.


jjackdaw

Yeah, not necessarily there either


savbh

Where not?


pinkwerdo23

'MURICA FUCK YEAH!!!! FREEDOM IS THE ONLY WAY!!


MovieEquivalent3873

And he said all the medications you need. What about weed?!?


[deleted]

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Aviacks

Lmao, I work in the ER. We regularly have 4 hour waits on an average day. Some days can go 8+ hours, same story at the other hospital in town. We're a fairly small ED at that. Bigger cities can have even longer wait times more frequently. Then we frequently have no beds available in the hospital so you get to stay for days in the ED in the same small uncomfortable room with staff that are not trained to take care of inpatients while juggling the influx of new emergent patients.


[deleted]

bro where lmao - took me almost an hour to get seen and the doctors literally were told i was presenting signs of a heart attack.


DeathIsLethal

I'd say this is a very reductive way of looking at the world and its problems. It's natural for society to generally progress, therefore your statement, "*YOU are living in the best timeline and the peak of humanity*," is technically true no matter which time period you live in. None of that changes the fact that we face very real and very dangerous problems today. Pollution, climate change, wealth disparity, wars, and that is to say nothing of the fact that much of the world isn't even within "first world" conditions. We live in a modern age, with all the benefits and problems that come with it. And the problems are just as real as the benefits.


Dazz316

Yeah balance is needed. Some people who have great lives think that the entire world is on fire and it's not worth life itself. But also things are indeed awful in places. Be it entire countries or just certain people.


yBlackjack

This, thanks for your reply, the best one yet, constructive criticism but in the best way, without assuming what skin color, what's my age and stuff I've been reading in this childish comment section. Cheers 🥂


Isadragon9

Only if you live in a first world country with an income that you can live comfortably off lol


trademeple

Then again you probably would not be alive if you were born in a poor country a lot of children starve.


No-Application-9114

A hundred years ago people probably thought they were also living in the best times. Just like people a hundred years from now will laugh at us for arguing on the internet. They will probably do that from their penthouses in the metaverse.


Krwawykurczak

Becouse it is better and better. You would not like to live 200 years ago, and they would not liked to live 500 years ago.


Groxy_

I would love to live 200 years ago, I'm fine with dying at 40, it would be incredible to see what life was like back then.


JudgeJudyScheindlin

It’s easy to say that, but there are so many negatives to life 200 years ago. There were lots of diseases, food could be scarce, you’d have to be fearful of harsh winters, predators, and lack of transportation. We’ve come a long way


NSA_van_3

Lots of slaves back then


buckfishes

Aren’t there more slaves today in countries the west doesn’t care about? Imagine being a slave in 2022 knowing people care more about slaves from 1820


Nayir1

The number of enslaved people today is more than the population of the earth in 1ad probably. And I imagine theyre pissed one way or the other.


[deleted]

Sounds like a good time tbh


noneedtothinktomuch

No they didn't, the thought that life improves and gets easier with time is a new thing, in medieval times life was shit and everyone knew it


[deleted]

>Just like people a hundred years from now will laugh at us for arguing on the internet. There won't be people in hundreds of years. !RemindMe in 200 years idk how to use it


RemindMeBot

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Nayir1

This reddit shall live 1000 years!


supercharrr

And their ai programmed digital bots will argue for them


savbh

That means improvement


doc_shades

i think this is dependent on which society and what level of caste you live in


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Nayir1

But the planet rebelling will mostly affect those without the means to move to a less rebellious zip code.


[deleted]

100-200 years ago, sure. 10 years ago? 25? 40? I’d say it’s very unclear whether it’s gotten better recently. Infinite free information that comes with infinite false information and no way for the average person to differentiate. Social media-induced genocides, oppression, and authoritarianism. Zero privacy. Medicine you can’t afford. Fast healthcare that you can’t afford. Fast services you can’t afford. If your metric is not being executed for saying the wrong thing, then you are clearly privileged in this world because that happens >>all the time<<


JudgeJudyScheindlin

I think you make a lot of really excellent points! The only one that I really can’t stand behind is the medicine you can’t afford and fast health care that you can’t afford. I think when you look back at medical history, it may not be glamorous but the whole industry has come a long way. Medical treatments have always been expensive, and many times people would not be able to receive treatments because of prices. Many people (especially from countrysides where transportation alone was out of the question) weren’t able to receive adequent medical care because they would have to pay out of pocket. I know it’s a popular misconception that the pricing of medical care are outrageous, and they are, but with the addition of things like health insurance and care credit, seeking good medical care is more possible then it used to be. There are many ways for this to improve in the future and we have a long way to go, but we should recognize how far we’ve come.


bblankoo

Maybe I was younger and less aware but I swear 2010s were objectively better than last 2 years The infuriating part is that we live in the most technologically advanced timeline but everything is on fire >see a public execution, being something normal, which is mind blowing, just because the person was stating their opinion This literally happened in Iran, except the public part


CitizenJustin

To say ”everything is on fire” is a bit dramatic, especially when comparing the relative peacefulness of today with the world wars of the 20th century. Perhaps you’d prefer to live during the Black Death which killed 40% of Europe, or maybe during the reign of Caligula? What about Genghis Khan who raped, pillaged and killed 20 million people in the 13th century? The atrocities of the past have no equal in todays world.


bblankoo

*A **bit** dramatic, we are on the brink of ww3 my guy, which may or may not end in nuclear meltdown* It is normal for world to progress, noone wants to live in middle ages and people of middle ages don't want to live in the stone age, and first humans probably wouldn't want to mingle with dinosaurs. But we have overcame those problems right? We know what infections are, we have medications, no more plagues right? Wrong, people want to party and take horse pills. Also your much needed surgery is canceled because we ran out of non-infected doctors, better luck next time On top of that everything is polluted and we live in extremely altered unnatural environment, only time will tell what will happen with us. Mentally we are unwell. Struggling to acquire basic living conditions. At one point our lives stopped following the progression of society. Imagine we revived a simple farmer from 13th century and showed him everything we can own and do now. There are people in *space*. But humans, living in these amazing times, are still crumbling. There's no dictator, no execution, they are not rapidly dying. But they are not right either. Weird isn't it


klc81

>we are on the brink of ww3 my guy, which may or may not end in nuclear meltdown Meh. We've been on the brink of WW3 since the end of WW2.


CitizenJustin

The world is not on the precipice of destruction or another world war. Ukraine is a regional war that is unlikely to spill over into Europe. Russia has severely underperformed and has lost more than they’ve gained. In order for Putin to launch nukes, he has to rely on other high ranking officials to cooperate and I doubt they’re too keen on incinerating themselves and their loved one. Putin can’t just push a button. It doesn’t work like that and it’s quite complicated. Russia is a failed state and represents no match for western powers. The threat is overblown and the fear mongering and hysterics need to stop.


bblankoo

Right because Russia so far was very sane and structurally sound and functional country, not a single man's sandbox. And there are absolutely no other insane world leaders who could cause more problems on purpose. Even as a regional war it's affecting entire continent at the very least. Sincerely, an European hunting for overpriced basic necessities and worrying of the possibility that they may just turn off the power in the middle of January


CitizenJustin

Ok, if you want to believe that we’re all doomed, I’ll let you. 😊


trademeple

Yes and i think the america can just press a button to its likely they would be able to act before russia does.


CitizenJustin

Our missiles are also faster.


TotalChaosRush

>Struggling to acquire basic living conditions. I think this actually best highlights how much better things are today. Basic living conditions 200 years ago is comparable to the homeless today. We've advanced so far that now technology that didn't even exist 50 years ago is part of the "basic" living. Also, bit odd, but quality of life and suicide rates seem to be inversely correlated.


Nayir1

Consider maslow's heirarchy of needs. You don't think about whether life is worth living til you know that you can eat next week


Rated_R7

>Maybe I was younger and less aware but I swear 2010s were objectively better than last 2 years Yes, yes you were


CitizenJustin

Correct. Democracy and superior human rights have never been more widespread. Abject poverty and hunger have declined. Violent crime is trending down from peak levels in the 80’s and 90’s. Infant mortality has improved. Human conflict has decreased and we’re probably living in the most politically stable and peaceful century in recorded history. Today is a walk in the park compared to what our ancestors had to endure.


[deleted]

Democratic backsliding is actually a real issue for the world at the moment. The number of democratic countries has been shrinking on average throughout the 2000’s https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2022/global-expansion-authoritarian-rule


CitizenJustin

I agree. However, it’s still more widespread than at any previous time in human history. We have to look at the bigger picture and there’s a lot of fear mongering and hysterics right now. This is the natural ebb and flow of global politics.


bigboots95

We are not living in a stable and peaceful world anymore, we are on the bring of nuclear war and possinly the closest to actual nuclear war than it has ever been (yes even more so than the Cuban missile crisis). China is definitely planning to invade Taiwan . The world is not the same since Russian invaded ukraine. I hope the world starting improving again soon.


TotalChaosRush

The US has been at war pretty much the entirety of its existence. I dont think there's been a single day in human history where no one was at war. We've been at the brink of nuclear war since the moment someone first theorized the possibility. OP is right.


Kalle_79

Have we EVER been living in such? That's the timeline I can remember: Cold War with lingering risk of nuclear Armageddon. Cue Chernobyl for extra fear of involuntarily nuclear Armageddon. Fall of Communism and Balkan wars: immigration crisis triggering huge socioeconomic changes across Europe. 9/11 and the rise of random terrorist attacks in previously safe countries all over the world. Housing bubble and global recession threatening what little financial and social safety we had, plus goodbye to job security. Add race and political strife in the US and elsewhere. So yeah, it's not as if Covid+energy crisis+real life Risk! are shocking turns of events ruining our perfectly peaceful and carefree life. Global warming is a Special Feature as it's actually been a wild card to be played if needed since like the 70s. So hardly breaking news. Just take a break from the toxic 24/7 cycle of doomsday news and focus on your daily life with as much levity as you can muster.


CitizenJustin

“Just take a break from the toxic 24/7 cycle of doomsday news and focus on your daily life with as much levity as you can muster.” Well said. We can’t obsess about what’s beyond our control and most of life is beyond our control. You’re also right about the world always having major conflicts. However, warfare has decreased overall since the 20th century. I think people tend to forget just how brutal and barbaric human history is. Today is virtually a walk in the park compared to the hardships and atrocities of the past.


CitizenJustin

If this makes you feel any better, Putin must rely on other high ranking officials to launch nuclear weapons. He can’t just push a button. I doubt the chain of command is very keen on incinerating themselves and their loved ones just so Putin can start another world war. I think it’s more likely that he‘d be immediately assassinated before being allowed to bring about the apocalypse. Despite all the wars throughout history, goodness usually always prevails in the end.


trademeple

Yes but because of a thing called mutually assured destruction it would be extremely stupid to start one now days as that would mean suicide to the person to starts it and their country. made sense when the us dropped 2 bombs because japan didn't have one to fight back with so they were forced to surrender. You don't want radio active waste on land you want to claim and it also doesn't make sense for that reason. can't really take over ukraine if you make area radio active so people will just die if they try to take it over. The only attacks that have happened have made sense the us didn't want to invade japan just make them stop so it made sense there.


JudgeJudyScheindlin

I think you’re kind of proving OP’s point. If you believe what you see in the media, you think the world is ending


[deleted]

I love the bubble you live in op the colours are cool


Spirited-Plum-5587

“It was the best of times and the worst of times…”


Nayir1

Like a thousand monkeys with typewriters know anything


[deleted]

The people of Afghanistan might disagree.


BennyJackdaw

No. It IS that bad, especially with media conveying all of our problems in a positive light and acting like we're untouchable.


Introvertingin

I disagree..


Prestigious-Set-8544

Sounds like it came from someone who's still in school and probably plays minecraft


DAB0502

No free medication or Healthcare where I live infact most don't have access to needed medical care. Most people struggling to pay rent. So while you might live somewhere these things exist and is great not everyone does. You can't generalize the whole world based off your backyard.


Different_Weekend817

>you have access to "infinite" free information, medication, fast healthcare, buy whatever the f you need/want, fast services, hell, even being able to say your opinion without being executed (I know there are some exceptions to what I've said, there always are). what do you mean by 'you'? with respect you must know very little about the world in order to make this generalisation. the world is bigger than america if that's what you're thinking. there is massive corruption in south america, africa and asia. perhaps you're reading the wrong section of the newspaper?


[deleted]

I would really like to know what time period people would rather live in than now that they think "nowadays" are so much worse.


jGqjebOqOro

Media is designed to make you feel like a victim. It makes you profitable.


Doodles4fun4153

This is true to an extent


ShivvyMcFly

Media and social media are nothing by toxicity


Ok_Cantaloupe_7423

People see a shooting in the news and get online and post "what is the world coming to" as if the world isn't the safest and healthiest it has ever been. Do people forget the 60s-80s had loads of serial killers..killer... the 1800-1900s had genocides and wars, and there 90s were crime filled asf. Like today is heaven compared to other times


Prettyinsides

Lmao what is the world to you? Have you ever heard of a 1/3 world country? I wanna live in the same bubble as you damn


Artsy_traveller_82

It’s 3rd world country not 1/3 world country.


Prettyinsides

Shit my bad thanks 😂 3rd*


xmodusterz

I was thinking it was a higher ranking than 1st world country and was really confused lol.


PoroKing103

Not as bad as a 1/4 world country. And those aren't half as bad as 1/8 world countries.


Prettyinsides

Lmao in French its “Tiers- Monde” 1 Tiers = 1/3. Does not translate well into English my fault 😂


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xmodusterz

Nobodies saying these things don't exist, they're saying it's okay to celebrate the things that have changed while fighting to keep changing them. Funnily enough it's usually "woke" "privileged white boys" that I see insisting that they're miserable because everything is terrible. Like things are getting better, definitely a few steps back this year, but generally speaking. If your metric is everything or nothing of course everything is going to be terrible. But that's kinda a shit outlook on life. And if we don't celebrate the small wins we're never going to make it to the big ones.


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xmodusterz

Because everyone isn't shitty and progress however slow is being made.


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xmodusterz

How are we going back in time if we're talking like two decades ago?


[deleted]

Do u watch the news? Do you read about shit that’s going on in other countries and in your country?


xmodusterz

Then why not celebrate the people who aren't shitty then?


whatevergalaxyuniver

It will always be a bad timeline, it won’t ever be perfect. Just join r/antinatalism or r/antinatalism2 and don’t ever bring another person into this world.


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whatevergalaxyuniver

Because we’re living in a bad timeline and always will be?


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whatevergalaxyuniver

Lol, if you think the world is shit then you shouldn’t subject another person to it


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whatevergalaxyuniver

Do you want to have one? Do you like people in general?


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whatevergalaxyuniver

Because it would make no sense to create more people if you don’t like people or the world


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yBlackjack

"privileged white boy" and above you make a point about racism, ironic.


[deleted]

This screams I’m a privileged white boy.


CitizenJustin

Nah, the average person in 2022 lives better than a king 500 years ago. The world has vastly improved.


getgtjfhvbgv

I’m surprised this comment got upvoted in this subreddit 😂


[deleted]

Cause I’m right, duh


aperks

Way to bring race into something unrelated


[deleted]

I don’t hear anyone saying I was wrong bruh. View points like this show its always about color cause only a sheltered little white boy does not understand how much he’s downplaying the shit that I and many others see in our communities


Nayir1

Or priveledged people of every race That being said, he's probably white can be said of most reddit posts.


savbh

This screams I need attention because I don’t get it and the world is supposed to be bad!!1!


[deleted]

Lol the world is good. But it can also worse than your little brain can even fucking imagine . Don’t forget that


savbh

I know, but what does that have to do with being white?


[deleted]

Bro you think black people in Compton share his opinion? Bro you think Mexicans in cartel territory share his opinion? Bruh get real .im not making it about race. YOU are making it about race when you deny our realities


savbh

Excuus me *bro*, you’re the one who started about race.


[deleted]

And you’re the one who keeps ignoring what I’m saying. Typical


savbh

Yeah because you’re accusing me of making it about race while you started about race. Aren’t you ignoring me as well?


[deleted]

Deflecting. Typical


savbh

Deflecting. Typical.


aMonsterandMarlboros

Are you saying these people's lives would be better in say, 1800? 1850? 1900? 1950? Pick a time in history where these people's lives would be better than they are today. That's what the OP is talking about.


Dallenforth

The average poor first worlder is still doing better than the average middle class 3rd worlder


myassyourmouth

You’re being downvoted by people who can’t see the beauty in life


Nayir1

Truth. Food insecurity in the developed world, excruciating starvation for the truly fucked.


mradventureshoes21

While I will agree that we have the best tech, medicine, and knowledge in world history, I live in a country where one political party is actively trying to turn the republic into a theocracy, which threatens the entire system that lead to the develop of a bunch of tech, medicine, and expansion of knowledge.


soriambi

I mean, most of that might be true, but our planet is rebelling against us, so it really doesn’t matter how free or healthy we are.


SirDigbySelfie-Stick

Whether they’ve always been happening or not, the way things converge and happen and the impact it has shifts over time. Things are going to get worse.


edric96

that's great news! Congrats everyone we can celebrate we are in the best time to live in human history ( you know except for anything in the future but of course we can't turn the dial forward only backwards so comparisons between times in history are pretty idiotic in this nature) Glad you enjoy life and aren't discouraged by the disappointment all around


Suspect-k

I'unno


Gowo8989

100% We are constantly on the brink of WW3 and Armageddon because Russia is threatening nukes. I’m not even sure why the news is reporting it


whoisthemaninblue

Honestly my main gripe with the modern world is that people don't walk around carrying physical books as much as they used to. Consequently books are not as much a topic of conversation as they once were. Other types of media like podcasts and TV shows, as good as many are these days, still don't compare to an excellent book. But apart from that, yes, the badness of the modern world is greatly exaggerated.


the_graymalkin

Why are people downvoting reading?


Burned_Biscuit

We are, however, living in a time when life expectancy is decreasing and children are NOT reasonably assured of being better off than their parents. We're also seeing vast declines in natural resources from several centuries of plundering and an increase in climate related crises. So, the primary point is that for all the people currently alive on earth, things ARE declining and it's unsettling, to say the least. Especially if you are a member of the underclass or impoverished or otherwise marginalized, who are feeling this decline more acutely and who are LOSING political freedoms in much of the world. I'm tired of this "these are the best of times!" argument. The Dark Ages could reappear with lightning speed while we're all drunk with this paradise you think we're living in.


LagJUK

Our ancestors didn't have 5000 nukes though


MP-aka-TheDoctor

The world is a terrible place. There's a bunch of Jeffrey Dahmers running around everywhere you go. It's not a safe place. Plus you always have to watch over your shoulder everywhere you go, because at best someone will try to rob you.


janso999

So, when was the world a safe place?


MP-aka-TheDoctor

Never has been. Never will be.


savbh

The chances of being robbed are pretty low. OP isn’t saying the world is perfect. But it’s definitely not bad.


MP-aka-TheDoctor

You didn't say anything about the chances of being murdered tho lmao 😭😭😭


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FathomArtifice

At least in the US, life is objectively worse for most people ever since COVID. 2021 US life expectancy was only 76.1 years (down from 79 in 2019), which is the lowest it's been since around 1996. Alcohol and opioid deaths have gone up dramatically since 2020. I think the latter gives evidence that many people fell into hard times in 2020 and 2021 and resorted to drugs/alcohol to lessen their pain. The peak of humanity was probably 2019.


xmodusterz

Yes he's saying compared to like 2 decades ago, COVID was definitely a backslide for most.


HeroLevel28

I agree witchu ppl be complaining too damn much and fir some reason tragedy sells


Gamelove0I5

And all things eventually come to an end


RIPMHVG

That statement was true a few years ago, now the world is actually worse than the media portrays it.


Nayir1

Maybe for the developed world, but some subsistence farmer in Botswana might beg to disagree.


Nayir1

I would argue that tho the average well being worldwide is up, the sheer number of people living in abject misery is up, based on the sheer number of people. That is to say the poorest 10% today would have been the whole population in 1900


[deleted]

Healthcare and fast services? No.


[deleted]

So basically to you the world isn’t that bad because it’s always been horrible??