Finding Real Hope
The Humanity Project is an optimistic organization. We believe humanity is like that baby in the photo, in some sense.
Still in our infancy in many ways, crawling toward a better future. So we were most pleased recently to come across a report that should give us all hope that society is moving in the right direction. An international think tank, the Millennium Project, just published a huge new study that shows our world is becoming a much better place to live than in the past. The data reveal that pessimism about the human race is grounded more in our distorted short-term perspective than in reality.
Some examples that compare key measures over the last 25 years:
- Worldwide, infant mortality has dropped from almost 70 deaths per 100,000 people to 40 deaths now.
- Average life expectancy has increased from 64 years to 68 years.
- Poverty plunged around the world from 43 percent of the population to 23 percent today.
- Armed conflicts fell from 37 in the mid-1980s to 26 now.
- More than 86 percent of the global population has access to water now compared to 75 percent in the mid-80s.
All of this should remind us that, grim as things may seem sometimes, there is a larger movement going on in humanity. There’s much, much room for improvement, of course. Those stats above clearly show that. But we are making progress toward the good. Real progress that improves real lives. And each of us, in our own way, can contribute to this high cause.
(Note: This blog was reprinted from an original article in the October issue of the Humanity Project’s free monthly email newsletter. To sign up, just click on the “Go” button on the newsletter sign-up in the right-hand column of this page. We ask only for your email address and never share it with anyone. Thanks!)
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I find it very hard to believe that humanity is on the right track. It has been my experience that we are getting more and more self-centered and that many of us are less and less emphatic. When I try to speak to persons in order to achieve aid for someone all I get is a one dimensional answer that leads to NOWHERE. From the Mortgage Industry to the Social Security Agency, most every person you speak to just doesn’t care. ANd if they can find no other way to pass you along they simply hang up, knowing you will have to start all over again. It is a sad commentary on our nation. We just don’t care anymore.
Dear Velecia — We surely do understand your feelings. I’m certain many of us can recognize the kind of thing you’re talking about here. But really, that’s the reason for the post. It is possible, and we believe it’s important, to see human life from a broader perspective that in the end is more realistic …. and more optimistic. We become blinded by our own small view of the world when in fact there are many good things happening we can’t see. When we look for the bigger picture, and finally see the sweeping progress over the centuries of humanity on many fronts (including, yes, morality and ethics … ), our perspective changes — and daily life seems a lot less difficult. That’s our experience. Thanks and do stay in touch. And keep the faith! Many good folks work very hard every day to continue making this a better world.