NO ROOM FOR GLOOM
The sense of positivism and optimism is a great socio-biological empowerment for the mankind. This continues to drive the onward march of human evolution and provides considerable safeguards against mutual destruction and extinction from the planet earth.
Sample some of the following facts:
1. - Compared to fifty years ago, globally, we are, on an average, earning three times more money per head –factoring inflation. This means more ‘social power’ per head now than before.
2. - We eat on per head basis thirty three per cent more calories now as compared to 50 years ago. This indicates enhanced food supplies the world over.
3. - The infant mortality reduced by two thirds during the last fifty years.
4. - The life expectation enhanced by two thirds in the course of the last fifty years.
6. - Globally speaking, city dwellers occupy lesser spaces, use lesser energy per head and have lesser impact on the environment than the rural living style. Of the total world population about fifty percent lives in the cities occupying less than three percent of the land. Hundred percent urbanization may need not more than six percent of the land space, leaving the rest to agriculture, animal husbandry, industries and other infrastructural requirements. Constructing sky scrappers may affect all-round savings in the per head energy consumption and positively impact the environment.
7. - One UN study suggests that more poverty was reduced in the last fifty years than during the last five hundred years. The income levels and the life expectancy have gone up every where including India, China and many other developing nations of Asia and Africa.
8. - We are wealthier, healthier, more knowledgeable and enjoying better peace and freedom regimes than ever before due to enhanced/cheaper general accessibility of basic needs of life viz., food, clothing, fuel, housing, education, security and Medicare. In 1800, a candle providing one hour light was equivalent to six man hour’s work.In 1880s the same light through kerosene lamp costed equivalent to 15 minutes of work. This came down to eight seconds in 1950s and just about half a second’s work wages now. This means,” we are 43,200 times better off than in 1800”.Despite all the developmental needs, the mankind is ‘surplus’ in the supply of labour force now. There is more unemployment, leisure and idle hands now than ever before. The distributive justice has become a problem providing equal share in the ‘free time’ and the fruitful employment.
9. - Our generation is enjoying more calories, watts, horsepower, gigabytes, megahertz, square feet, air miles, food per acre, kilometers per hour and money than any generation before us. The innovations and technological advances may keep this tempo for very long times to come or, perhaps, indefinitely. A fuel efficient car emits fewer pollutants while racing at the full speed now as compared to the parked car earlier due to fuel leakage.
10. Due to better communication and trade we are consuming, in material forms, fractions of labour of many nationalities now daily making the world more inter-dependent, efficient, specialization oriented and more employable. The “self reliance is poverty” in this consumption oriented society wanting choices of services and goods.
11. Since 1900 the world population has increased more than fourfold. The area under plough has increased by 30 per cent while the production has gone up 600 times. The productivity per unit of labour, land, capital, talent and time may continue to enhance overall food production and availability for all times to come keeping in view that the world population is slated to decreasing trend after 2075.
12. The argument that the past simplicity, innocence, peace, cooperation, tranquility, sociability, cohesiveness, love, compassion and spirituality have been lost, is simply untrue. Even the much talked about ‘corruption’ in the society and human governance has gone down. During tribal , feudal, monarchies and other authoritarian rules, practically hundred per cent of GDP was cornered by a few and changed hands through corrupt means as against less than one per cent exchanged through corrupt means even in the most corrupt countries these days(Transparency International). The so-called “good old days” were dominated by barbarism, tyranny, terrorism, loot, robbery, ethnic cleansings and murders. The so-called “Dark Ages” may be recalled as well.
13. The population growth rate is decreasing globally, including the most populous countries today. According to an UN study, the world population will start decreasing after attaining a peak of 9.2 billion in the year 2075.That means there will never be shortage of food in the world that is already feeding more than 7 billion people as of today.
14. The world oil reserves were estimated to be 550 billion barrels in 1970.The annual use in 1990 exceeded 600 billion barrels and now the estimates are revised to 900 billion barrels not counting the huge reserves of tar sands and shales which together may account for more than 20 times the total oil reserves of Saudi Arabia. The finite reserves oil, coal and gas may last for centuries but in any case mankind is sure to find alternative sources of energy much before that. The solar and nuclear technologies will be perfected soon. Just like chemical energy of fire, we are sure to find better safety measures to use nuclear energy more extensively.
There are many examples that could be cited in favour of positivism and the optimism.
People normally get depressed and pessimistic while processing the media news reports in their minds. The media reports are generally loaded with negative news because positive events have poor news value. A wiser and proportionately balanced attitude is called for to digest the daily media reports. Otherwise pessimism and negativism may ruin the social and personal health of the individuals.
The world is going to transform the UN into a World Parliament eventually. The autonomy and sovereignty of the Nations shall be shifted to the one responsible world body. This should further minimize the man made political stresses and wars. The stockpile of nuclear and other weapons of mass destruction may never need to be used. The expenses now being incurred of development of weapons would be diverted to development of infrastructure for the wellbeing of the humanity. The national armies will convert into local police force.
The Malthusian doom was averted long back for the mankind due to tremendous all round progress in science and technology that led to enhanced supply of food on the one hand and the contraceptive mediated capacity to regulate demographic pressures on the other. The new ideas, inventions and discoveries are bound to increase with enhanced global communication, healthy competition, cooperation and efficient team efforts.
The basic urge of survival is bound to emerge victorious and mankind is sure to find ways to deal with disasters of different kinds that may befall. The collective consciousness and wise cooperation are bound to take the socio-biological evolution of mankind to better and better future. The quality of environment will stand improved once the population is stabilized. The effective ways will be evolved to tackle depletion of the ozone layer, greenhouse effects, global warming, acid rains, dreaded diseases and patho-biotic accidents.
The “doom’s days”, if at all are not known and predictable so far. The humans are poised to discover alternative worlds/habitats in the space before the planet earth gets threatened by cosmic accidents or the fuel of the sun runs out.
Our pace of technological advances and the basic urges of survival are bound to create more and more wisdom and protect our collective consciousness for ever. The ever emerging global and cosmic ‘threats’ will provide more thrusts and the driving force for such a positive development. Thus, no room for gloom. (To develop and present his ideas, the author has used some data and information published in the article “Up Cheers—17 Reasons it’s Great Time to be Alive” by Johndyson in June 2012 issue of the Readers’ Digest).