Life Gets Better

resist the urge to go negative

I am writing early today (before noon) since I plan to watch some football. I am recuperating from a bit of tennis elbow and doing my exercises and icing and ibuprofen. I am fortunate to have family who can give free medical advice. Life is good!

One of my sons is an economist. He sees the world through data and trends. Even as a young boy he had a way of seeing through opinion and just focusing on the facts. As a 60-year old, I must guard against that sad affliction of seeing the future darkly. It is no accident that every generation as they age seems sure that the next generation is not up to the task. In the context of human history, such a point of view is simply foolish. While it always seems to work in the short term to manipulate how we feel about the world, history tells us that it is simple, and almost always, dead wrong. While not quoting him directly, I think my son sees this nurturing of the past and nostalgia as just not backed up by the facts. One of my son’s favorite observations is “I miss the good old days when the incidence of crime was higher and real GDP was lower”. The solid historical record of nearly 10,000 years backs up what he says. While I am sure each new generation of 60-year-olds will ponder the end of times due to the next generation, I think it is a safe bet that they will be as wrong as the last 5000 generations.

Optimism brings with it health benefits and genuine enjoyment of life, no matter the circumstances. Based on the data, I hope that all of you might agree that choosing optimism is almost always the best plan. One of my memories and discussions with my son proves the point. In the mid-1800s there was no more powerful and important person on earth was the King & Queen of England. The Empire was at its zenith and goods from all over the world were brought to London for their amusement. Only 150+ years or so, a simple average person has better access to exotic foods, quality medicine, etcetera. I doubt the king ever had an avocado! More succinctly, they were bathed in darkness, depending upon kerosene, whale oil, and candles to bring the world into view. They lived in magnificent castles, which, nevertheless were cold and damp. Living in the ages before central heat and air conditioning makes the most pedestrian existence today far beyond living like a King! Visiting the kingdom was almost impossible. While I am sure the train and carriage were comfortable, there is no comparison to even coach travel on an airplane. Even an economy-sized car can be fitted with wonderful, orthopedic leather seats. Life gets better!

So here is my takeaway, hopefully not too controversial for my limited audience. Whenever I get down about things that are happening in our world, our country, or my community, I try to remember that things get better. Why is that a sensible conclusion? Thankfully, that small subset of us (old folks in most cases) that do not agree, will age out sooner and be replaced with what history has exposed for generations as the truth. My advice for people of my age is to try to embrace and take the time to understand the point of view of the next generation. You will be happier, healthier, and have a larger circle of people in this world who welcome you. Things get better! Here is a song if my post has put you in a good mood from my 20s. This guy is still making music.