Does it seem like the world is going to heck in a handbasket? Then it may be time for a reality check.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been a summer of rough news for America. Racism, riots, and political violence. Communities on the Gulf Coast continue wading through the devastation of hurricane Harvey, and now another storm is bearing down on Florida. We have plenty of reasons to be praying and doing all we can to alleviate suffering. There\u2019s cause for grief about the news \u2014 but not for pessimism.<\/p>\n
Writing at The Guardian , Oliver Burkeman suggests that despite a dragging civil war in Syria, heart-rending photos of drowned refugees, North Korea\u2019s nuclear saber-rattling, disasters, terrorist attacks, and racial violence, the world is objectively better now than it\u2019s ever been.<\/p>\n
Hard to believe? Well, here are the facts: Swedish historian Mark Norberg breaks down global indicators of human flourishing into nine categories: food, sanitation, life expectancy, poverty, violence, the state of the environment, literacy, freedom, equality, and the conditions of childhood. And in nearly all of these categories, we\u2019ve seen vast improvement in my lifetime.<\/p>\n
Despite the fact that nine out of ten Americans say worldwide poverty is holding steady or worsening, the percentage of people on this planet who live on less than two dollars a day \u2014 what the United Nation\u2019s defines as \u201cextreme poverty\u201d \u2014 has fallen below ten percent, which is the lowest it\u2019s ever been.<\/p>\n
The scourge of child mortality is also at a record low. Fifty percent fewer children under five die today than did thirty years ago.<\/p>\n
Worldwide, 300,000 more people gain access to electricity every day. In 1900, global life expectancy was just 31 years. Today, it\u2019s an impressive 71 years. And violent crime rates in the United States are the lowest they\u2019ve been in half a century.<\/p>\n
Nicholas Kristof wasn\u2019t too far afield when he called 2016 \u201cthe best year in the history of humanity.\u201d This year may see even more progress.<\/p>\n
So why do these cheery pronouncements strike us as inaccurate \u2014 even outrageous? Why \u2014 according to a recent poll by YouGov \u2014 do a vanishingly small six percent of Americans think the world as a whole is becoming a better place?<\/p>\n
Burkeman lays much of the blame on the press. Thanks to a 24-hour news cycle that actively seeks out and overplays the worst stories, our perception of the world is skewed. \u201cWe are not merely ignorant of the facts,\u201d he writes. \u201cWe are actively convinced of depressing \u2018facts\u2019 that aren\u2019t true.\u201d And no wonder! It\u2019s hard to sell papers and get Web traffic with good news. No one reports when a plane takes off. They only report when they crash.<\/p>\n
But a great deal of the blame for our unjustifiably gloomy view of the world also falls on our shoulders. Quite simply, we often enjoy being angry about the state of the world, especially when it allows us to blame someone else. We are addicted to news-induced anger.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important \u2014 while acknowledging the desperate evil and suffering around us \u2014 to appreciate the good news, the progress, and the things we have to celebrate. After all, how can we truly comprehend what\u2019s wrong with the world if we don\u2019t recognize when something is going right?<\/p>\n
War, famine, disease, and hatred should all remind us that God\u2019s world, which He created and pronounced \u201cvery good,\u201d is broken, and it\u2019s our fault. But here\u2019s the real comfort: It\u2019s still \u2014 as the hymn says \u2014 our Father\u2019s world. Let us therefore never forget that \u201cthough the wrong seems oft so strong God is the ruler yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Christians, we know where history is headed, and we know how the story ends \u2014 with the redemption and restoration of all things. We who have the good news should be the first to recognize all good news, not in spite of, but in the midst of the bad.
\n Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable \u2014 if anything is excellent or praiseworthy \u2014 think about such things. Philippians 4:8
\n________<\/p>\n
Resources<\/p>\n
Is the world really better than ever? Oliver Burkeman, The Guardian, July 28, 2017<\/p>\n
American Pessimism: Only 6 Percent Think the World Is Getting Better , Ronald Bailey, Reason.com, July. 7, 2016<\/p>\n
________<\/p>\n
Copyright (c) 2017 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. “BreakPoint” is a radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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