The inescapable gravity of the concept of New Year is hard to avoid. It pulls all minds toward its imperative to reflection and conjecture in a way that is both predictable and tiresome. So those few words are my only concession to the Turning of The Year. Of course, custom and actual intent on my part bid me to wish you a Happy New Year in 2020 and to venture no further about the global or personal probabilities of that. So, Happy New Year. I hope it is indeed a good one for you.
In the turmoil that is Western Politics, I have been putting my despair aside to focus on the considerable good news for Humanity as a whole. After reading the extremely hopeful "Factfulness" by Dr Hans Rosling, I realise that although the news and individual testimonies do show some awful and undeniable suffering, the human race as a whole is experiencing some serious improvements in standard of living if we look at a global picture.:The rise of vast numbers of people from extreme poverty, the story behind worldwide life-expectancy (which is now a biblical three-score-and-ten years), the world fertility rate (currently at about three children per woman) is slowing dramatically as a result of the incredible drop in infant mortality since 1960. This is all very good news which almost never reaches our minds.
In the book, the lovely Doctor explains a little of why this might be: Negativity bias, the need to sell newspapers (or garner likes), the wish to lead a population by the nose to an expedient but incorrect view of the world for political gain. It's worth a read. And if you don't have time, the transcript is on youtube for you to listen to whilst performing some 9 hour menial task (as is common in my line of work these days). Do it. It will change how you see the world.
In this, I suppose I am exhibiting an uncharacteristic evangelism. But I feel that we should build a world view based upon verifiable facts and data. And these exist if we only care to look. I know the Amazon, Australia and even the Arctic are burning, but without faith in our own abilities to improve things, we really have no hope. And I don't know about you, but I really need some hope right now.
So, whilst I was mowing lawns, building raised beds and pruning apple trees, the year rolled by and suddenly, without noticing, it was December and I hadn't bought any Christmas presents. Perhaps sometimes we need to look up from what we are doing and see that a Bigger Picture (though not a cosmic one, because that will mostly not help on a day to day basis) needs regarding.
The book again: Dr Hans Rosling "Factfulness"
Also look a the Gapminder.org website where you will find information on how to bridge the gap between your likely incorrect assumptions about the state of the world and the facts that can give a more accurate and hopeful perspective.
1 comment:
Thank you for pointing the book and the website out to us.
I often think when I come across lamenting (or, to put it less kindly, whining) on other blogs at how good those bloggers really have it. Usually, theirs is not a plight of unrelenting struggle for survival; they do not need to worry day after day where their next meal comes from or where they will find shelter for the next night. By that, of course I do not mean to say that our First World problems are any less real - I am just trying to say, in a roundabout way, the same as you: Look up from your own little life and look at the bigger picture every now and then. A change of perspective can be very helpful.
On the other hand, the ability of man to create his or her own happy little bubble even in the middle of upheaval and worrying circumstances all around is truly amazing. I am definitely one of those happy little bubble people, and while I am not blind to what is going on outside said bubble, I may be a bit stubborn sometimes in refusing to leave it.
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