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This really is a good thing to keep in mind when it seems like the bad news keeps coming every day-- whether it be on the global/national stage, in your busines

This really is a good thing to keep in mind when it seems like the bad news keeps coming every day-- whether it be on the global/national stage, in your business or in your personal life. Overall, things in general are still slowly getting better for everyone on average. Of course, knowing this doesn't help much when you're facing catastrophe that damages your own well being, and past performance is an unreliable predictor of future results. It's even possible we could see a reversal of many (or all) of these generally progressive trends if there is an unprecedented, massive collapse in the global economy. But when the noise in your head of 'all the terrible things happening' is getting too loud, it can ease the stress a bit to remember that the trend is still upward in a lot of really amazing ways. When the chips are down, there's always tomorrow, and your odds of bouncing back better than before usually aren't as poor as it feels like in those moments of loss. And while it may not work for everyone, I personally take some comfort when I'm down thinking about all those out there who've been working a long time for a big win and finally got one today.

aaronbrethorst 6y ago
Overall, things in general are still slowly getting better for everyone on average. Overall, global temperatures are still slowly getting higher for everyone on average, too.
- marcus_holmes 6y ago
  So, why bring this up? Why must everything be headed to disaster? Why is all good news always countered with a negative forecast of doom? I seek to understand.
  - Uupis 6y ago
    > I seek to understand. I can't speak for the parent poster, but I find that "things are getting better" and other forms of 'incessantly positive' narrative give me some degree of dissonance. The bad things don't cancel out the good, but the good things don't make up for the bad. The times I find myself talking about it are when things seem especially bleak, and a given positive spin just turns out to be that last straw of annoyance. Pointing it out just seems to bring back some sense of reality, sort of bracing for when the next awful thing inevitably comes up. Personally, I try to keep it in my private notes, but sometimes things spill out. It's not an attempt to bring others down. Of course, this is comment is just as moot.
    - marcus_holmes 6y ago
      thanks for sharing :) So you see the world as definitely getting worse every year, and any news or indicator that it's improving is just a blip, and annoying because it gives people hope when there is none. Is that right?
DyslexicAtheist 6y ago
> ... whether it be on the global/national stage, in your business or in your personal life. Overall, things in general are still slowly getting better for everyone on average. ... the assumption that things are getting better may be correct on the collective level but even here it depends where your samples are coming from. a developing country struggling with desertification or disappearance of drinking water or floods will likely not look better in a few decades. Capetown or other places may not exist in a few decades. on the individual level it looks a lot bleaker even than this. Most individuals stuck in some hamster wheel are going to tell themselves they're doing it for "their future". But as Covid shows the future may not pan out well. Maybe their partners are dead, maybe they are dead. In the long run though everyone is dead. Our fallacy is thinking bad things only happen to others.
- marcus_holmes 6y ago
  Have you spent any time at all in a developing country? They're so high on hope and change it's inspiring. It's the opposite to TFA - everyone is living better than their parents did, the progress is visible between generations (between decades even). They know they still have problems, but they trust in their ability to deal with them like they're dealing with everything else.
  - watwut 6y ago
    They are multiple wars countries that are definitely not moving toward better future. Like, there are wars and genocides going on right now. Those people are not be better off then previously. Syria is not better off, Libya is neither. Palestine is not moving toward shiny future. Yazidi are not better off nor other people in formerly ISIS areas. Especially women, but like, guys did not had it easy either. Not that Kurds had it easy before, but it seems like genocide is starting around now. And those are just super obvious examples from top of head. Everyone is living better than their parents did is just not true.
    - DyslexicAtheist 6y ago
      > Everyone is living better than their parents did is just not true. in addition to these more extreme examples you listed, your statement even holds water for places in the West (e.g. US).
ArmandGrillet 6y ago
> Overall, things in general are still slowly getting better for everyone on average. For anyone interested about this topic, the book Factfulness describes why this is the case and why our society focuses on the bad news.

aaronbrethorst 6y ago

Overall, things in general are still slowly getting better for everyone on average. Overall, global temperatures are still slowly getting higher for everyone on average, too.

marcus_holmes 6y ago
So, why bring this up? Why must everything be headed to disaster? Why is all good news always countered with a negative forecast of doom? I seek to understand.
- Uupis 6y ago
  > I seek to understand. I can't speak for the parent poster, but I find that "things are getting better" and other forms of 'incessantly positive' narrative give me some degree of dissonance. The bad things don't cancel out the good, but the good things don't make up for the bad. The times I find myself talking about it are when things seem especially bleak, and a given positive spin just turns out to be that last straw of annoyance. Pointing it out just seems to bring back some sense of reality, sort of bracing for when the next awful thing inevitably comes up. Personally, I try to keep it in my private notes, but sometimes things spill out. It's not an attempt to bring others down. Of course, this is comment is just as moot.
  - marcus_holmes 6y ago
    thanks for sharing :) So you see the world as definitely getting worse every year, and any news or indicator that it's improving is just a blip, and annoying because it gives people hope when there is none. Is that right?

DyslexicAtheist 6y ago

> ... whether it be on the global/national stage, in your business or in your personal life. Overall, things in general are still slowly getting better for everyone on average. ... the assumption that things are getting better may be correct on the collective level but even here it depends where your samples are coming from. a developing country struggling with desertification or disappearance of drinking water or floods will likely not look better in a few decades. Capetown or other places may not exist in a few decades. on the individual level it looks a lot bleaker even than this. Most individuals stuck in some hamster wheel are going to tell themselves they're doing it for "their future". But as Covid shows the future may not pan out well. Maybe their partners are dead, maybe they are dead. In the long run though everyone is dead. Our fallacy is thinking bad things only happen to others.

marcus_holmes 6y ago
Have you spent any time at all in a developing country? They're so high on hope and change it's inspiring. It's the opposite to TFA - everyone is living better than their parents did, the progress is visible between generations (between decades even). They know they still have problems, but they trust in their ability to deal with them like they're dealing with everything else.
- watwut 6y ago
  They are multiple wars countries that are definitely not moving toward better future. Like, there are wars and genocides going on right now. Those people are not be better off then previously. Syria is not better off, Libya is neither. Palestine is not moving toward shiny future. Yazidi are not better off nor other people in formerly ISIS areas. Especially women, but like, guys did not had it easy either. Not that Kurds had it easy before, but it seems like genocide is starting around now. And those are just super obvious examples from top of head. Everyone is living better than their parents did is just not true.
  - DyslexicAtheist 6y ago
    > Everyone is living better than their parents did is just not true. in addition to these more extreme examples you listed, your statement even holds water for places in the West (e.g. US).

ArmandGrillet 6y ago

> Overall, things in general are still slowly getting better for everyone on average. For anyone interested about this topic, the book Factfulness describes why this is the case and why our society focuses on the bad news.