Life so far is great, despite what everyone says
I live a mundane life — sleep, eat, see friends, work, read, and repeat. If there’s a multi-verse with different versions of myself, I’d argue this would be one of the best versions.
I have friends and family who see the opposite — things all over the world are falling apart, both internationally and domestically. Nothing seems to be going right and things aren’t the way they used to be.
This frustrates me because they also live a normal life like I do but allow themselves to be influenced by external influences. While I agree that atrocities are currently happening, there is no better time to live than now.
Progressively better
Despite what we see on the news and social media, times have never been better. People are living longer and the quality of life has progressed tremendously. In almost all spectrums of life, we’re way better off today than others.
Here’s the United States:
Here’s the rest of the world:
Poverty rates have come down drastically due to myriad factors of industrialization, trade, collaboration, advancement in technology, etc. It’s undeniable that living in today’s world is much better.
I remember stories told by my parents of how their siblings would have to watch each other suffer and die from diseases that can be currently cured today. They would tell us stories of how famine would strike the entire country and the extreme rationing they’d have to do to survive.
I can’t fathom growing up with my siblings and watching them pass as early as 11 years old. Or to be drafted into a war where death was certain.
You can’t really blame those who went through such tough times to have an optimistic view of the world. Imagine as a child going through wartime, where every time you turn on the news or read about current events, it’s always how the “enemy” is trying to take away your freedom and life.
It’s only when you get older that you see there is no “right” side. Both sides are trying their best to appear right and use propaganda to get what they want.
I recently read about how those living in Nazi Germany at the time, accepted Hitler’s regime because they were going through a recession at the time, and the regime brought back economic prosperity. With that new context, you could understand why the Germans went along with the atrocities. It doesn’t mean it was right, but with the right context, you could understand the why.
Changing the mindset
I go back and forth about whether to put in a serious effort to convince someone that the world is heaps better than it used to be and some days, it doesn’t feel worth it.
Ultimately, words can only do so much to convince someone that their life is great. You can only change your attitude towards your own life. Indirectly, by living a life worth living, you can influence those around you to do the same.
Inversely, if you see others always grumbling and complaining, it also serves as motivation to not become like that.
Perhaps the easiest reminder of a good life is whenever you lose something or the ability to do something. When I had sciatica, I couldn’t walk without immense pain. Standing was even more difficult. It was like someone robbed the joys of daily living from me.
Once I recovered from the injury, it brought tears to my eyes to walk comfortably, feel the wind in my hair, and resume physical activity. I was sidelined for a few months, but the thought of not walking indefinitely was a daunting image. Just being under immense pain for almost every second of waking was enough to almost break me.
I make it a priority to put myself in situations like that as a reminder of how fortunate I am. You can start small like sleep on the ground or go without your phone for a day. You may laugh and say that’s ridiculous and simple, but try removing a privilege from your life and see how you handle it. With a doctor’s advice, I’ve tried fasting for a day, and believe me the simplest of meals tasted like a 5-star meal made by a Michelin chef.
Block it all out
We’ve probably all heard of people and news outlets always talking about how grim the situation is. Well, that’s how they make capital — currency or status. Their job isn’t to sell you on the good news because no one cares about it as much as bad news.
Negativity will always be around, and it’s a better feeling to be cautious than optimistic. What feels better to you: “I told you so” or “That wasn’t so bad”. I’m willing to be it’s the former. When we avoid a risk or slip past a negative, it feels amazing. You feel like a mystic or someone who just knows better. But someone who is always so cautious of the world will never attempt to try things that can move the world.
If humans were afraid of cars and all of the deaths they caused, would we ever make better cars? How about technology? We should consider the risks but not let them blindly control us.
Those who get influenced easily tend to not do the critical thinking it requires to argue for the other side. It matches with their narrative so it feels good. The thinking stops there.
Why go to another source if they say things that you agree with? In fact, we’d probably double down and become charlatans of what we just heard. We’re all guilty of this.
I used to believe that your knees weren’t supposed to go past your toes because it would cause injury during a squat. But if you look at weightlifters and babies, they do it all the time. We just stopped doing it and lost the capability to do so. Then when we do it and get hurt, it triggers the “I knew it” response and then we double down and spread false information.
We’ve heard of the saying “If it works for someone, it’ll work for me” right? That’s usually wrong, and it’s the same inversely. If it’s bad for me, then it’s bad for everyone right? Just because it didn’t work out for you, doesn’t mean it’s the same for everyone else.
Unfortunately, it’s easier said than done. Trauma is one of the biggest convincers in life. It might not be correlated but it’s easy to tie strong emotions with any action.
You can’t just tell someone to trust someone else after they’ve been betrayed. But you can show them that it’s okay to take little steps to start rebuilding the trust.
You can also start blocking out people or influences that put you in a negative mood. There are a lot of things to worry about, so why add another to your plate?
If we were to make a list of things that we take for granted, I’m certain it’ll go to the hundreds.
In the words of the great Bob Marley: Don’t worry, be happy.
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