The popular rhetoric is of doom and gloom. Its often discussed the state of the world, and how messed up it is. It is commonly discussed how things are getting worse and worse, and people look back to the good ol' days. I don't want to discount the fact that there are many very real people for which this does hold true. But, on a global scale, we are enjoying a time of unprecedented peace. In almost every measurable respect, the state of the world is better now than it ever has been. The wars of today are tragic, but to a much smaller degree than most of the conflicts we've seen throughout history. Fewer people (by percentage) are dying of hunger/famine, drought, disease and political violence than at about any point throughout human history.

While we look to the past with rose-tinted glasses, our brethren from that past are looking forward at us and calling us fools.