[physicalscience]

When I read these things I sometimes get this sense that there is this feeling of "superiority" with respect to leisure and family time from Europeans. I can't help but constantly think about how a lot of European countries got to this point because of the mass subjugation of other humans (think Africa and the Caribbean). For example, the current crisis in Haiti makes me think of the Haitian Independence Debt[0]. Sometimes I feel like a lot of the West is like a trust fund baby, where we live off the hard and dirty work of our parents, and turn a blind eye to the mass destruction of the earth and the countless millions of peoples lives who, even to this day, we take advantage of.

So I'm very glad the French can get 2 hours in the middle of the day to hang out and eat home cooked meals, while the earth slowly starts to boil around them, and while millions of people still suffer to this day because of actions their country has taken in the recent past.

I'm not saying that I don't believe humans should have more family time, more leisure time, and a better quality of life; but I do feel like we haven't done anything yet as a greater society to earn that right yet, as almost everything our foundation is built on seems incredibly unsustainable, and still needs a lot of work and thought put into it to get us there.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiti_Independence_Debt

[willyt]

Britain did bad stuff around the world and our GDP productivity / hr figures are dog shit compared to France. So if you want that productivity directed towards saving the world, it would still make sense to look to France or Germany for inspiration on how to harness it more effectively.

[njarboe]

I would suggest reading some more ancient history to get a larger view of the great accomplishments of the west and you might feel a little different. Some of them are:

Abolition of slavery world wide (almost everywhere)

Women liberation

The rule of law and not men

Great advances in medicine reducing suffering (anesthesia and surgery, vaccines)

Birth mortality going from 50% of children dying in 1800 to about 1% today

Maternal mortality going from 5 per 1000 to .1 per 1000

The average person being able to own their own private coach (car) and eat like the kings of old

Universal education

Space exploration

Of course there are many things to improve. Let's get at it.

[lostemptations5]

None of these are ancient accomplishments if you like them. They're all since say 1900.

[njarboe]

Yes. You need to know how things were for the span of history to understand how today is different.