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Compared to how we lived, children today now live in luxury, they’re disrespectful and prefer chatting to outdoor exercise. Partly because they’ve not yet been humbled by life, many of them often ignore the law, are violent in the streets and tyrannize their teachers.
If that sounds true and reason for alarm, beware. Because I’ve just paraphrased quotes from the 4th century B.C. by Socrates and Aristotle. And to take this a step further, not only does this kind of negative fearful alarm/beware stuff resonate throughout human history but is also messing with us today through our 24/7 news cycle. News media, social media and others use this kind of “information” to scare us because it sells. We tend to click on it, read it, digest it to our detriment.
None of it here in this column. The sky is not falling. IT’S NOVEMBER! The month of being thankful for all we have here in the USA Our first Thanksgiving was in 1621 and then 242 years later, in 1863, was made a positive national holiday in the midst of that Civil War which threatened to tear this wonderful, hopeful nation apart.
Today, all of you reading this have been privileged to live your life in the easiest, safest, most plentiful conditions ever known to the human species. Please re-read that sentence. For millions or thousands of years depending on your personal metaphysics, the USA in the 21st century is the best it’s ever been. Be Thankful. We have so much. We’re the envy of the world. So many from all over this planet want to be here. They want the opportunity this nation offers to improve their lives and the lives of their children this nation offers. Most of us just had to be fortunate enough to be born here.
OK, OK, Mr. Sunny Attitude, but what about all the problems, real problems, that do exist? While it’s difficult to believe in this age of technological vast dissemination of public information, murder and serious crime are falling in our cities at the fastest rate in decades, life expectancy is rising again (more about this in a bit), and we’re slowly moving toward renewable energy. Human beings have always dealt with serious issues. And we are now; we always will. Both personally and as cultures but we’ve done a good job until now and we’ll continue to address things as they arise. The issues today aren’t more challenging than in the past. It doesn’t just seem like it’s one thing after another. It IS. That’s life.
I mentioned life expectancy. Two thousand years ago in the days of the Roman Empire the average life span was 39 years. Fast forward to 1900 in the U.S. and it was only 47 years. In all that time (1,900 years) the average life span had increased only eight years! By the year 2000 in the U.S, it was 78 years old! How could that happen?
In the days of the Roman Empire, 50 percent of all children died by the age of 10. That deals a serious blow to average life span. Look around you. Look at your family. Imagine what it was like to live knowing that and to still bring children into the world. Childhood vaccines (diphtheria, polio, smallpox, cholera, measles, mumps, rubella…) and the advantages of modern medicine in childbirth, in diagnoses, therapeutics and surgical procedures for adults and children are far less invasive than previously. Modern medicine has discovered and implemented advances that have improved all our lives. Know that research guarantees we will continue to progress. And we’re already the healthiest we’ve ever been!
Life is good right now. Very good. Please be thankful for it and enjoy the holiday!