In this age of information it can be hard not to feel overwhelmed by all of the heavy topics that are presented by the media. On any given day it’s likely that you could come up with at least a handful of events that make you nervous, anxious, or even sick to your stomach. We are bombarded by the media from every direction reporting on the Ebola crisis, ISIS, Syria and the conflict in Gaza to name a few. It’s enough to paint a grim picture of the reality we live in.
However, this perception of a world of destruction might simply be a by-product of another phenomenon. This is not to say that we should turn a blind eye and continue to live in a world of blissful ignorance, but the point of the matter is that we are exposed to exponentially more information than at any previous point in history. Many experts, such as Vannevar Bush, have raised the issue that people perceive the world to be worse off than previously thought simply because the record of events has been vastly expanded.
Even the creator of TED, Richard Wurman, has been known to advocate for this view. His extensive research shows that one edition of the New York Times is comprised of more information than any average 17th century person would come across in their entire lifetime. He has also found that it is estimated that it has taken only 30 years to produce the same quantity of information as was created in the previous 5000.
With the advent of the internet people have instantaneous and extensive access to the vast reserves of information, the bulk of which is unprecedented in the human existence. Luckily, the World Wide Web also provides access to some reassuring news. The following is a compilation of facts that prove the world is not as bad of a place as we may perceive it since we have become hyperaware of the events taking place on this planet we call home.
1. There is a 37% increase in school-aged American children enrolled in school than 100 years ago. The United States now has a 96.5% enrolment rate. This has resulted in an 72.6% in high school graduates in the country. Get more statistics from this unique infographic.
2. The World Bank estimates that the number of people in the developing world living off less than $1.25 a day has dropped from 50% to a substantially less 21% from 1981 to 2010. While it is difficult to ignore the multitudes of people who still face this reality, it is hard to deny that this does not bode well.
3. There is also evidence compiled by Yahoo news that demonstrates that the world is becoming far less violent overall: “The average annual battle death toll has dropped from nearly 10,000 per conflict in the 1950s to less than 1,000 in the 21st century. And the number of deadliest wars — those that kill at least 1,000 people a year — has fallen by 78 percent since 1988.” Not to mention that the rate of genocide was reported to be 1400 times higher in 1942 when compared to 2008, among many other findings.
4. Slate Magazine compiled the findings of several researchers to come to several conclusions, one of which is on life expectancy. With developments in modern medicine global life expectancy has increased from 32 years in 1900 to 69 in 2013. Things are only looking up from here with life expectancies projected to reach 76 by 2050.
5. And most importantly, there is 100% more Ryan Gosling in the world than there was 35 years ago.
With these facts in mind it is difficult not to think that we might be heading in the right direction globally.
Still pessimistic? Look at this video of a puppy and a baby meeting for the first time. It will definitely take the edge off.
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