With IS (Islamic State) terrorists blowing themselves up and disrupting social life, you might wonder whether the world is coming to an end. In addition, there are far too many other problems man has to contend with. They say there is a population explosion in many parts of the world. Economic inflation has driven the prices of consumer goods upwards. There is also considerable mistrust among nationalities. Super powers are apparently bracing for another war. Against such a backdrop can anyone remain an optimist?
The situation is not so bleak according to Matt Ridley who excels as a science writer. He claims that the world has always been a good place to live in. Strangely, he also claims that the world is getting better day by day. Despite harsh criticism from his critics, Ridley sticks to his guns.
Ridley’s recent book ‘The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves’ has managed to silence most of his critics. Can you believe the words of a science writer however eminent he happens to be? But Ridley is more than a science writer. He has been a foreign correspondent, a zoologist, an economist and a well-known financier. That means he is not talking nonsense. We have to take him as a serious thinker and an optimist of the first order.
Pessimistic ideas
Anyone who wishes to shake off their pessimistic ideas should read his book which propounds 16 reasons why we should think that it is a great time to be living in the crisis-ridden 21st century. If we go back to the 1940s or ‘50s, people earned very poor salaries. I started my career in a government department for a paltry salary of Rs 80 a month about 60 years ago. Of the meagre income I had to pay Rs 60 as boarding fees. I was left with Rs 20 to spend on other necessities.
Comparatively, an average worker earns ten times or even more today. With better salaries and other perks we eat more nutritious food than in the 1940s. Unlike in the past when parents had more children in a family, today most couples have only one or two children. There are also families with no children. Although some people in poverty-stricken countries are leading miserable lives, those in developed and developing countries earn more money and lead happy lives.
Compare how people in rural areas and cities live. Most people in rural areas have more land space but city dwellers prefer to live in flats and apartments. This type of vertical living has resulted in using the available lands in the city equitably. Very soon high rise buildings will come up even in rural areas. This is because of the escalating land value.
Mega cities
When a large number of people live in a housing complex, there is less wastage of water and electricity. The world’s leading mega cities now contain over half its people but they occupy less than 3 per cent of the land area. Urban growth may not appeal to environmentalists but living on large plots of land is not the best way to care for the earth.
There has always been an economic gap between the rich and the poor. Even Karl Marx could not bridge the gap by popularizing communism. No doubt, the rich are getting richer in almost all countries. However, the poor have many opportunities to earn more money than they did in the past. According to Ridley, the Chinese are ten times richer than they were in the 1950s. What is more, they live about 25 years longer than they did 50 years ago. Even poverty-stricken Nigerians are richer today and their life-span has increased by nine years. According to a United Nations’ survey, poverty has been reduced in the past 50 years.
For anyone to lead a satisfactory life they need food, clothes, fuel and shelter. Those who are living in the modern world are lucky because there are ample supplies of food. Clothes are cheaper than in the past. There are many modes of travel. If you are a well-to-do person, you can travel business class in any airline. Even others can travel at the same speed in the economy class. Man has found a novel method of building skyscrapers in order to solve the housing problem. We no longer use bottle lamps as electricity is available in many parts of the world. Compare yourself with a man who lived in the 18th or 19th century to realize the difference in the standard of living.
Forest cover
Although most people are concerned with the dwindling forest cover, this is only a temporary problem. When rural folk move into cities more trees will grow in villages. There is also no need to worry about population explosion. According to research, national birthrates are falling due to smaller families. A UN study says population will start falling once it peaks at 9.2 billion in 2075. This is good news for the seven billion people inhabiting the earth.
The trouble with the modern world is that we are surrounded by a bunch of pessimists who refuse to see the bright side of life. No doubt there are suicide bombers here and there but they will never be able to destroy the world. Another problem is that the media give prominence to bad news. They believe that good news is no news. With all those prophets of doom, the world is getting better day by day. If you are still pessimistic about the future of the world, take stock of your own life and compare your present status with that of the past. Then you will realize that not only you but also the world has progressed.