Growth obtained through short-term tactics eventually plateaus. It’s a dead end.
Some people believe that the world has gotten worse.
I disagree. Observe what would happen if the arrow of time reversed. We would progressively lose tech, social rights, access to services, and abundance that we now take for granted.
For example, go back in time 30 years, and we lose smartphones and the internet. Cars get worse and more polluting. Houses get smaller and worse equipped.
This effect is even worse for the bottom parts of society. Go back in time 15 years, and access to the internet disappears, but only for the bottom ~half of society. Go back in time 60 years, and plenty of rights disappear, but only for those at the bottom of society (think about racial segregation). Go back in time 75 years, and plumbing disappears, but only in the houses of the poorest 20%.
Reversing the arrow of time seems evil, cruel, and a terrible injustice, not only making everyone’s life worse but especially worsening the lives of the bottom layers of society.
Why do we say that the world got worse, then?
Subscribe to my newsletter
Receive essays and updates about my work.
Join more than 25000 readers.
You might also like my books
More posts
