@MsKathleen You’re kidding, right?

@MsKathleen When looking at history through the lens of our lifespans it’s understandable that one might not notice improvement. But when we compare where we are today to any other point in history, where would you really rather be?

A century ago, during a time when our knowledge of diseases was limited, our personal hygiene was dubious and life expectancy was less than half what it is today, 500 million people were infected by the Spanish flu killing 50 million. And yet less than 12 months from the start of the Coronavirus pandemic I was fortunate enough to be vaccinated against COVID 19. And as Steven Pinker has identified in his book, The Better Angels of Our Nature, violence in our species has significantly declined, over time.

Yes, we must continue to clean up our environment, but we’ve begun to identify and eliminate the toxins, and our diets are evolving from an over-reliance on meats and crappy food in cans to organically certified produce and a reduced dependency on meat.

@MsKathleen What, pray tell, are your metrics for improvement?

@MsKathleen Pretty much every point you make resonates with me. After all, look who I've chosen as my avatar ... an 18th century writer and philosopher who despised privilege and advocated (in his tract, Agrarian Justice) for a universal basic income! Peace.