Are we really living in the worst of times?
So many conversations that I have about the current state of the world involve people suggesting that we are living in the worst of times. But is this really the case?
It is true that we recently had a global pandemic that killed millions, that there are wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, the Congo and elsewhere, and that the climate crisis is causing catastrophies that are taking many lives and threatening any more.
However, the sixth-century plague of Justinian and the fourteenth-century Black Death each killed up to 30% of the world population. In the 13th century, the Mongol invasions took the lives of up to 10% of the world population.
World War One killed some 8 million (around 1% of the world population) and World War Two killed some 70-85 million (around 3% of the wold population). Each year, around 1.35 million people die in traffic accidents worldwide.
Today more people are experiencing record living standards and living longer than at any time in human history. Just saying …