The World is Getting Better All the Time! Part 2

Need more good news? In 1979, oil spills hit a record high with 696,000 tons of oil spilled from tanker ships. Today just 6000 tons are spilled and it’s going down each year.

In 1800, only 10% of humans could read. Today it’s 86% worldwide. That will help people be peaceful, productive, and reduce the chances they are manipulated by strongman regimes.

In 1816, only 1% of the world’s population lived in a democracy. Now 56% get to vote who their leaders will be.

In 1893, only 1 country had equal rights for men and women to vote. Now 193 countries out of 194 do.

There are more and more reasons to be happy about the world we live in, no matter what you hear on the news.

The World is Getting Better All the Time! Part 1

If you watch the news or read the newspaper, it doesn’t seem like the world is getting better at all. But no matter how good it gets, the media will never serve up good news because they will lose all their customers since we are programmed to pay attention to threats.

Nevertheless, life on earth for humans is better than it has ever been. For example, in 1970, 28% of the world’s population was under-nourished. Today, even though there are many more people, only 11% are hungry and it’s going down each year.

In 1950, 28% of children aged 5-14 worked full time under bad conditions. Today only 10% do.

In 1800, 44% of children died before their 5th birthday. Today that number is down to 4%.

I remember there was a lot of talk about the “hole in the ozone layer.” In 1970, 1,683,000 tons of ozone-depleting substances were used. Today it’s down to 22,000 tons. That is a huge difference.

While there are more people, we have found many ways to deal with our problems. That’s what people do.

Worldwide Internet Use Up All the Time

In 1993, nobody was on the internet. Now 48% of the world’s population is.

This is a big deal. Now people can communicate with each other and learn faster. They can get better information and not be manipulated by local interests. They can get access to markets as buyers and sellers. They can see what works best around the world and improve faster. They can understand other cultures and feel a connection to others they would normally be tribal against.

The internet does all this and so much more. Millions more people are getting online each year, and the pace of positive change is growing.

Don't let your music die in you

We all have special talents, not quite the same as anyone else’s. There is a reason for that; we are supposed to use them in service to others.

God gave you gifts. You must give them to the world.

Give to get

Some things you have to give away to get.

Hugs, friendship, love, smiles, kindness, appreciation…

What else? 

Re-Dream

Imagine you were starting over. What do you want? Where do you want to be? Who do you want to be?

Re-imagining your future self is important from time to time because, based on what you have learned and experienced, the answers may have changed a little, or a lot.

Create your best life in your mind first. Then go make it happen.

"The Good ol' Days"

Warning – Objects in your memories were worse than they appear.

For centuries, older people have romanticized their youths and insisted that things ain’t what they used to be.  Well, that’s true, but not in the way they mean it.  Most things used to be worse, not better,  But it is extremely easy for people to forget how things really did “used to be”.

Beyond living memory, for some reason, we avoid reminding ourselves and our children about the brutalities of the past.  The truth is to be found in ancient graveyards and burial sites, where archeologists have to get used to discovering that a large proportion of all the remains they dig up are those of children.  Most have been killed by starvation or diseases, but many child skeletons bear the marks of physical violence. Hunter-gatherer societies often had murder rates above 10%, and children were not spared.  In today’s graveyards, child graves are rare.

Things are the best they have ever been today, and are getting better all the time.

Be good to be successful

“Every moral act is another solid brick in the temple of prosperity.” – James Allen

Despite any narrative otherwise, it is very difficult to get ahead if you are immoral, unfair, and mean to others.  Sure, there are exceptions, but they are very few and don’t last long.

Prosperity rests on a moral foundation. Whatever mistakes you may have made in the past, it’s never too late to get it right.

Roots and Wings

“He that would build strong and high must first of all dig deep and low. So rises the spire against the sky, and so doth skill and knowledge grow, so with well-ordered strenuousness, raise thou the structure of success.” – James Allen

Toiling away in the dirt building the foundation may not be much fun, but it is necessary to one day place the flag on the dome.

Keep going, and do what you must.

Real "risk"

“At any given moment we can step forward into growth or back into safety.” 

But is “back into safety” really safe? When we get to the end of our days, we will likely regret the things we did not do, not what we did. We will be sorry that we didn’t have more time to do the things we wanted to experience and be the person we wanted to be in various chapters in our lives. 

But we do have that time. That time is now, and it is ticking away.  

What are you doing with it?