This text only makes sense if you are in a privileged position. For the majority of the population in many countries, the world is not that wonderful.
Life was dirty, difficult, and dangerous for almost everyone who ever existed
11–20 of 41 posts
Re: Life was dirty, difficult, and dangerous for almost everyone who ever existed
#12So what, we should just sit back and not try to improve things? I’ve never understood this perspective. It just seems like a way to try for people who have done well in the current system to justify to themselves the fact that in reality people in wealthy countries do still struggle with poverty. There are millions of people living hand-to-mouth. Not to mention the fact that the reason wealthy countries have got to t…
For me the point of thinking like this is to remain centered and not freak out. I see some people who feel like ‘everything is going downhill and this is the worse time ever’ and that’s just not very grounded.
The benefit is that you can be optimistic that the hard work we’re putting in, more likely than not, might continue the progress. Even if there are blips along the way.
Re: Life was dirty, difficult, and dangerous for almost everyone who ever existed
#13Earlier quoted context omitted.
On the other hand, this may be the cleanest we will ever be
Sure, if civilization collapses, it may take us a while to get back to this point. But my point is, essays like these assume we are peak humanity. We're not. Given enough time, we'll look like primitive barbarians too.
> But my point is, essays like these assume we are peak humanity.
Do they? the might assume we’re peak humanity right now but they don’t make the claim that we’re are the peak there ever will be
Re: Life was dirty, difficult, and dangerous for almost everyone who ever existed
#14Earlier quoted context omitted.
On the other hand, this may be the cleanest we will ever be
Sure, if civilization collapses, it may take us a while to get back to this point. But my point is, essays like these assume we are peak humanity. We're not. Given enough time, we'll look like primitive barbarians too.
I’ve become less clean in my life because I believe too much cleanliness is bad for your immune system. Could be a placebo, but I haven’t had allergies since.
Re: Life was dirty, difficult, and dangerous for almost everyone who ever existed
#15This text only makes sense if you are in a privileged position. For the majority of the population in many countries, the world is not that wonderful.
It's actually still is, comparatively to what was. I took that to be the point.
Re: Life was dirty, difficult, and dangerous for almost everyone who ever existed
#16So what, we should just sit back and not try to improve things? I’ve never understood this perspective. It just seems like a way to try for people who have done well in the current system to justify to themselves the fact that in reality people in wealthy countries do still struggle with poverty. There are millions of people living hand-to-mouth. Not to mention the fact that the reason wealthy countries have got to t…
I don't think that's the thrust of the piece, any more than celebrating your birthday is an invitation to commit suicide. Appreciation of where we are at, like a birthday, seems its point.
And that there are a great many people who don't feel all the blessings of these achievements. Not only is there relative inconvenience and suffering, there are also resentments and those have tangible social and political impacts. One useful step is to simply acknowledge them. I write this from a small town that lacks Uber, Doordash, and has people that basically work for a living, not sit behind a desk. Their construction and agricultural labor enables some of the luxuries-cum-expectations listed in the piece.
We'll always judge ourselves relative to surroundings and peers, so the billionaire needs to be a centibillionaire and the retired cotton field hand would like all their teeth back and AC that works. Let's not forget we, the readers of the piece, were basically born on third base already.
Re: Life was dirty, difficult, and dangerous for almost everyone who ever existed
#17This text only makes sense if you are in a privileged position. For the majority of the population in many countries, the world is not that wonderful.
It's actually still is, comparatively to what was. I took that to be the point.
The Ambari wedding this year is a wonderful illustration of the range available.
Re: Life was dirty, difficult, and dangerous for almost everyone who ever existed
#18When you're an empire being supported on the labor of a couple billion people in other parts of the world, yes, life for you and yours can be pretty okay. Not as okay for the imperial periphery, the sacrifice zones, but they don't really count. > You can amass a closet full of outfits, in a variety of styles and colors, with no knowledge of the spinning machines, the dyeing vats, the automatic looms, the sewing machi…
Industrial revolution and automation still makes amenities far more accessible for all. The material conditions of the average factory worker in Thailand is still miles ahead of the condition of someone of that percentile of the worldwide socioeconomic strata in any other period of history.
Re: Life was dirty, difficult, and dangerous for almost everyone who ever existed
#19[deleted]
Re: Life was dirty, difficult, and dangerous for almost everyone who ever existed
#20Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sure, if civilization collapses, it may take us a while to get back to this point. But my point is, essays like these assume we are peak humanity. We're not. Given enough time, we'll look like primitive barbarians too.
> But my point is, essays like these assume we are peak humanity. Do they? the might assume we’re peak humanity right now but they don’t make the claim that we’re are the peak there ever will be
Seems like his argument is about now. The truth is that every now has been the peak so far, so his words apply to all points in time.
It seems to me he's missing that. Does it sound like he's urging people 2000 years ago to appreciate how clean their lives are? No?