I’ve been thinking a lot about how we live in a world of abundance, and somewhat more depressingly realizing that the earth is being ravaged by climate change and grateful to be alive now rather than 100 years from now.<p>Anyone else feel the same way?
Pragmatically thinking I can't imagine what could be better age or place to be alive.<p>We have abundance of food and can pick what and when we eat. We can travel freely and its relatively cheap. We work less hours and the work is physically not demanding. We have time for self fulfillment and hobbies. Medicine is widely available at least in Europe. Technology and communication is widely available and cheap.<p>What could be better? As a westerner and tech worker I can't really even imagine what else could be better in everyday life. More money wouldn't change much or make my life better. I don't want to live 150 years old if it means just existing.
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” - Dickens<p>Nothing is all good, and nothing is all bad. Now is as good a time as any other to be alive.
I don't think we are necessarily happier or more fulfilled than we were as hunter-gatherers. For many of us the disconnect between the situation in which we find ourselves and the situation for which we evolved is psychologically problematic.
I grateful to live in the time I currently live in because I have no idea how much worse or better the "future" is. It is easy to look back and say that somethings are better than in previous decades or centuries.<p>As for 100 years from now, the future of the world hasn't been written so it is up to the people of today and tomorrow to make sure we write a good one. If we succeed then 100 years from now may just end up being a better time to live in.
I think we are potentially close to the best time to be alive.<p>There is a lot of work being done on reversing age related diseases, so maybe in another 30 to 100 years, we will reach escape velocity so to speak, and people will no longer die of "old age".<p>This assumes we don't make humans extinct through warfare.
Too late to explore the Earth, too early to explore the stars, just in time to buy psychedelics off the internet due to legal loopholes... wait, that was 10 years ago.
We are going to have a lot of excitement in our lives coming in the months and years ahead but few will enjoy it. On the other hand some people would never shine had it not been for service in the midst of catastrophy.
Why do we always think climate change is going to be impossible to solve and it's some predestined, doomed dark future. I imagine some sort of new tech will be invented within the next 100 years that will easily solve it. Not saying we shouldn't start now though...