Are we better off or worse off today than in the past? How so, when and why?

Thirty Bills Unpaid

jnimhaoileoin said:

hedonist said:

jnimhaoileoin said:

brianlux said:

hedonist said:

brianlux said:

hedonist said:

How is "we" defined?

And really, why limit the past to a specific timeline?

Might give a skewed view / response.

See above.

Also, any time might be interesting.

Alright then!

Guess I've supposedly contributed.

Hmmm. Not sure we should let you off that easy, haha.

Seriously, do you think society, our species, or even just your country is better off or worse off? I'm leaving it open because what prompted this were comments elsewhere (that were also a bit vague) about how we are better off or worse off than we used to be.

That make the question a bit easier if you chose your own parameters. How about the greater Los Angles basin. Are things better now than they were 10 or 20 years ago?

Hedo aren't you in Canada???

Jenny, I am a native Angelino.

Angelina?

Bottom line, born, raised and living in Los Angeles

Why on earth was it so fixed in my mind that you're Canadian?

Because she's cool.

hedonist

Thirty Bills Unpaid said:

jnimhaoileoin said:

hedonist said:

jnimhaoileoin said:

brianlux said:

hedonist said:

brianlux said:

hedonist said:

How is "we" defined?

And really, why limit the past to a specific timeline?

Might give a skewed view / response.

See above.

Also, any time might be interesting.

Alright then!

Guess I've supposedly contributed.

Hmmm. Not sure we should let you off that easy, haha.

Seriously, do you think society, our species, or even just your country is better off or worse off? I'm leaving it open because what prompted this were comments elsewhere (that were also a bit vague) about how we are better off or worse off than we used to be.

That make the question a bit easier if you chose your own parameters. How about the greater Los Angles basin. Are things better now than they were 10 or 20 years ago?

Hedo aren't you in Canada???

Jenny, I am a native Angelino.

Angelina?

Bottom line, born, raised and living in Los Angeles

Why on earth was it so fixed in my mind that you're Canadian?

Because she's cool.

Aw, Thirty. Thanks, and backatcha.

We need a friendly / gentle-punch-in-the-arm emoticon thingie

(Kat and Sea, please get on this)

*edit - the Canadian reference was not lost on me! I think quite highly of my northern neighbors.

TL170678

It`s obviously better now, we got Pearl Jam, they did not!

PJPOWER

It's all relative. One could say that we now have toilets and air conditioning and TVs and those are things that make today better. Another could say that all of those things are destroying the environment and society. Over all, most of us have better living conditions these days. Having running water, sewage, heating, cooling was pretty much only reserved for the wealthiest in the not so distant past. Modern farming practices are somewhat better than 100 years ago, although not without some flaws still. There are so many facets to this question that can be argued and rebutted...good things to ponder today.

Degeneratefk

Are we better off than we were 100 hears ago? Yes of course.

50 years ago? Yes

25 years ago? Yes.

10 years ago? Yes.

With the advances in technology, medicine, civil rights, and communication we are always better off than we were.

Free

Personally, I believe that the 90s was a decade worthy of being better than any latter decade. Pre-9/11, this country was a better, saner, happier and less plugged in place.

And there were no phones at concerts. We had lighters, lots of 'em. And fans actually lived in the moment.

hedonist

PJPOWER said:

It's all relative. One could say that we now have toilets and air conditioning and TVs and those are things that make today better. Another could say that all of those things are destroying the environment and society. Over all, most of us have better living conditions these days. Having running water, sewage, heating, cooling was pretty much only reserved for the wealthiest in the not so distant past. Modern farming practices are somewhat better than 100 years ago, although not without some flaws still. There are so many facets to this question that can be argued and rebutted...good things to ponder today.

Yes! Well-said.

brianlux

Free said:

Personally, I believe that the 90s was a decade worthy of being better than any latter decade. Pre-9/11, this country was a better, saner, happier and less plugged in place.

And there were no phones at concerts. We had lighters, lots of 'em. And fans actually lived in the moment.

I hear that!

One thing that is DEFINITELY better that the past: dental care. My dentist reminded me that 100 years ago the town blacksmith assisted the dentist because he was the only one strong enough to hold anybody while a tooth was being pulled. Ouch!!

Go Beavers

Thanks for posting this topic. I think it's hugely important and it's something I think about often. My take is that things are better now than they ever have been in the past, except for the stress on the planet. I see people take on a negative outlook, or that they see everything on a downward trend, and then they fall into negative emotions/pessimism. They start then looking for things to confirm that outlook, and they don't see things that oppose it. The thing that bothers me on a larger scale is when leaders and politicians use this negative outlook to manipulate people, sell goods, get votes, etc. "Our country is on a path of destruction unless you vote for me!" Of course, people have been predicting our demise for over 200 years, though. The struggle is balancing the dramatic, anecdotal stories with actual facts. What's happening now, vs. measurable trends over time.

This made me think of something my wife said the other day. It was after the Orlando shooting, and she was really trying to see the positive in people. While I ran into Trader Joe's, she waited in the car. In that short time, she saw strangers being nice to each other randomly: one person dropped their credit card and another person picked it up and chased them down to give it back, another stopped a runaway cart from hitting a parked car, and a third person was helping hold someone's hatch up when they loaded their groceries. These things weren't major, but it points out how when you intentionally shift your focus to the good, you end up seeing the good.

Go Beavers

brianlux said:

Free said:

Personally, I believe that the 90s was a decade worthy of being better than any latter decade. Pre-9/11, this country was a better, saner, happier and less plugged in place.

And there were no phones at concerts. We had lighters, lots of 'em. And fans actually lived in the moment.

I hear that!

One thing that is DEFINITELY better that the past: dental care. My dentist reminded me that 100 years ago the town blacksmith assisted the dentist because he was the only one strong enough to hold anybody while a tooth was being pulled. Ouch!!

There's a book about President Garfield that focuses a lot on his medical care after he was shot. The doctors basically end up killing the poor guy.

brianlux

Go Beavers said:

Thanks for posting this topic. I think it's hugely important and it's something I think about often. My take is that things are better now than they ever have been in the past, except for the stress on the planet. I see people take on a negative outlook, or that they see everything on a downward trend, and then they fall into negative emotions/pessimism. They start then looking for things to confirm that outlook, and they don't see things that oppose it. The thing that bothers me on a larger scale is when leaders and politicians use this negative outlook to manipulate people, sell goods, get votes, etc. "Our country is on a path of destruction unless you vote for me!" Of course, people have been predicting our demise for over 200 years, though. The struggle is balancing the dramatic, anecdotal stories with actual facts. What's happening now, vs. measurable trends over time.

This made me think of something my wife said the other day. It was after the Orlando shooting, and she was really trying to see the positive in people. While I ran into Trader Joe's, she waited in the car. In that short time, she saw strangers being nice to each other randomly: one person dropped their credit card and another person picked it up and chased them down to give it back, another stopped a runaway cart from hitting a parked car, and a third person was helping hold someone's hatch up when they loaded their groceries. These things weren't major, but it points out how when you intentionally shift your focus to the good, you end up seeing the good.

My wife is a good balance for me that way. She is much more optimistic to my more critical view of the world (although I would argue both are essential). She once was accused of being "too nice" when working to mediate a dispute in the group that were members of a booksellers co-op we belonged to. I found the disparate view points to both be useful and the dispute eventually was settled. The accuser and my wife remained good friends.