Skip to main content

Scorecard for Planet Earth


What’s good about the world? 

We’re not looking for miracles or final results. We are looking for improvement.  Let’s not look at the world we don’t have now, but look more at the far and recent past where almost nothing was possible, available, accessible, and the like. 

Our list does not include everyone everywhere.  Progress is not constant nor uniform.  In some places forward steps come in leaps while in others backward steps seem the rule. 

With all we hear daily of riots here, wars there, violence in the streets, intrigue in the palace, assassinations,  subversions, perversions, and all others, we take a pause and consider what we have is far, far beyond the situations of almost all only a century or two ago.   

 We now live in a world where most people---
  • Have some civil rights.
  • Have basic schooling.
  • Have machines to make life easier.
  • Have food produced by an agricultural bounty.
  • Have some rights to practice a religion of choice.
  • Are neither slaves nor indentured.
  • Can vote.
  • Can seek desirable employment or self-employment.
  • Can gravitate toward a better life.
  • Can live in peace.
  • Can read to better understand life.
  • Can travel, explore, and select a personal lifestyle.
  • Enjoy clean air, water, and sanitation.
  • Know torture is not a lever of compliance.

It is remarkable that some decline these gains in favor of a Utopian conquest. It is remarkable that some see only faults and depressing conditions.  This is not an appeal to globalism which has its own entire set of unexpected and unintended consequences, nor simplistic policies of open borders, one government for all, pure capitalistic measures, or rule by the barrel of a gun – all being projections of complexity to understandable simplicity.

What is important is to keep a scorecard transcending your lifetime, before and beyond.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Please Comment.

Popular posts from this blog

UNCERTAINTY IS CERTAIN

  Uncertainty is Certain G. Donald Allen 12/12/2024 1.       Introduction . This short essay is about uncertainty in people from both secular and nonsecular viewpoints. One point that will emerge is that randomly based uncertainty can be a driver for religious structure. Many groups facing uncertainty about their future are deeply religious or rely on faith as a source of comfort, resilience, and guidance. The intersection of uncertainty and religiosity often stems from the human need to find meaning, hope, and stability in the face of unpredictable or challenging circumstances. We first take up the connections of uncertainty to religion for the first real profession, farming, noting that hunting has many similar uncertainties. Below are groups that commonly lean on religious beliefs amidst uncertainty.   This short essay is a follow-up to a previous piece on certainty (https://used-ideas.blogspot.com/2024/12/certainty-is-also-emotion.html). U...
Post a Comment
Read more

CERTAINTY IS ALSO AN EMOTION

  Certainty is also a Feeling Certainty is often viewed as a mental state tied to knowledge and confidence, but it also functions as a feeling with distinct emotional and physiological components. While it arises from cognitive processes, certainty also has a subjective and emotional quality that makes it more than just a rational judgment. It provides a sense of assurance and security that shapes human experience in profound ways. Emotional Dimension . At its core, certainty evokes emotions that influence how we perceive and interact with the world. When someone feels certain, they often experience relief, comfort, or empowerment. These emotions are particularly strong when uncertainty or doubt is resolved, offering a sense of closure. For example, solving a complex problem or having a belief validated by evidence brings not just intellectual satisfaction but also emotional reassurance. Subjectivity. Certainty is inherently personal and subjective. It depends on individual...
Post a Comment
Read more

Lies, Deceit, and the National Agenda

The world you grew up in is no more.  The world of reasonable honesty and reasonable lies has been replaced by abject dishonesty and blatant lies. Lies.  Yes. People have always told them.  You have told them; so have I.   We need lies; they are a foundational structure of social living.  They both deceive and protect.  Children tell them to their parents to avoid consequences, like punishment.  Adults tell them to their bosses, to enhance their position and/or avoid consequences of poor performance.  Our bosses tell them to their boards to suggest business is good, the project is on target, or the detractors are wrong.  The boards tell them to shareholders to protect their own credibility and most importantly, stock values.   Our politicians tell lies to their constituents, though sometimes innocently with them not actually knowing much more than they've been told.  They enhance their positio...
2 comments
Read more