Worse today nonsense

One thing that bothers me and nags at me to respond is the claim that things in the past were better. There is almost nothing about the past that was better than it is today. There are only two things that may have been better: the tax rate (and that's recent past) and your health and love. I assume people say such silly things because when you "look back" you tend to see yourself in better shape, in more passionate love and in less quarrels with your family and friends. But to project this onto the past is absolutely bonkers.

What I am raving about is when people make claims that society is crumbling, or crime/war/etc wasn't this bad in the past. So lets think about that for a minute. A few millenia ago, most people did not last to see their 5th birthday and if they did would not live much past 40! These people lived very hard lives without "weekends" or vacations and often rationing food. In some ancient cultures there was some justice but nothing of note until the Magna Carta (which is still not the case some societies today). The idea of a fulfilling relationship was also non-existent even for many of the wealthy. To top it off, these people were powerless to help their dying children because they lacked the basic knowledge of medicine.

Therefore when someone claims (like many new agers) that these people had hidden knowledge we lack what can you do but laugh. These poor people could not save their children from dying from a simple infection. I cannot imagine a single person from the past who would not trade places with any of us (1st world countries of course) since we live in more luxury and safety than even the kings of old.

Then there are the people who claim that the more immediate past was better. This is either self-delusion or they miss religion's dominance. The latter I can at least sympathize with since as more people become educated and taught to think they are not likely to be convinced about
"ancient wisdom". But if this is what they miss they should simply state it instead of statements about the crime rate. Which brings me to the deluded bunch. Our crime rate is at an all time low and keeps going down to the point that we need to look at national or international news to hear about the extraordinary crimes. The world is richer (although the gap is worse since some countries still toil in ancient type conditions) and safer than it has even been. There are less mass wars (which claim many more lives than current conflicts) and less international hostility.

It's too bad people don't realize the fantastic times we live in thanks to science and reason, they are really missing out.