December Philosophy

I sometimes think I’m a bit of a rebel in that despite being a fairly avid reader of the news, with all its doom and gloom, I’m a fairly optimistic person. Indeed, I feel there are many indicators that suggest that the world is getting better in general:

• People are living longer.
• Certain values now seem to be generally accepted almost everywhere - as reflected by the growing number of human rights treaties and institutions.
• Technology continues to march forward in many areas even if the improvements are evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

Indeed, if the world were getting worse wouldn’t that mean that sometime in the past, humankind peaked? I wonder what year that would be? Sometime in the 19th century when colonization was rampant? Or perhaps a more recent time, such as the 1950s when the world was on the brink of nuclear annihilation and fundamental rights for many groups in Western society were nothing but a pipe dream?

Of course, the world has a long way to go and I can’t help but feel occasionally dispirited by news stories highlighting the callousness of people towards one another or the shortsightedness humankind consistently displays to problems spanning more than one election cycle.

That can be a tough feeling to shake.

But, as a parent, I think it’s important to do so. It means that you have hope. It means that you won’t give up trying to build a world that’s just a bit more just.  It means that…lol I don’t know! For me, it just means limitless potential.