Why the World Is Better Than It Seems

Global progress visualization

Every time I scroll the news, I get that tight feeling in my chest—the world looks like it's falling apart. But I've learned something surprising over the past few years: the big picture tells a different story. While challenges absolutely exist, most global trends are pointing in the right direction. We're living through the best time in human history—by far—and I think that deserves some recognition.

Life expectancy, child mortality, extreme poverty, literacy, and access to clean water have all improved dramatically in the past 50 years. According to the World Bank, global extreme poverty fell from 44% in 1981 to under 9% by 2019. Child mortality rates have dropped by more than half since 1990. And more people today can read, vote, and access the internet than ever before in human history.

Despite this, negative news dominates. That's because humans are wired for threat detection. Psychologists call it "negativity bias"—bad news grabs our attention more than good. This helped keep our ancestors alive, but in a world of constant media and social algorithms, it can distort our sense of reality. Doomscrolling isn't a reflection of the world—it's a reflection of what gets clicks.

What's really driving all this progress? Energy and information. The rise of cheap, reliable energy—from fossil fuels to renewables—has supercharged agriculture, transportation, and manufacturing. At the same time, global communication through the internet has democratized knowledge and enabled cooperation on a scale never before possible. These two forces—abundance and connection—are the unsung heroes of modern civilization.

That's not to say there aren't problems. Climate change, political polarization, and misinformation are real, pressing issues. But knowing we've solved harder problems before should give us confidence. Eradicating smallpox, landing on the moon, and cutting global poverty by 80% all sounded impossible once too. We still have work to do—but we're not starting from scratch.

When I take a step back and look at the data, I feel hopeful. It's easy to be cynical in a noisy world, but I believe progress is still happening—quietly, steadily, and at scale.

The future has its challenges, no doubt. But I choose to bet on human ingenuity, compassion, and our ability to build a better tomorrow—just like we've been doing all along.

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