These items don’t make national news, of course, because they don’t keep you glued to the TV (maybe you’re yawning already), but they’re very real and telling metrics. The mainstream media will continue to bombard you with exposure to things like shootings, bombings, and outbreaks because they catch your eye and translate to ad revenue... But don’t let them fool you: we’re doing just fine, all things considered.

The world isn’t perfect, of course, and there’s plenty of work to be done, but on the grand scale of history, we pretty much have it made. Keep in mind you’re currently reading these words on a machine with more computing power than all of NASA had in 1969. Not to mention the data is being transmitted through thin air...

We live in the era of instant information, and with information comes power. Economies will always have their ups and downs, but quality of life only goes up over time as