[al_borland]

There will be good times and bad times in the future, just as there have always been. Those times also vary by region on a macro level, and vary still at a micro level.

I think there will be happy people in the future, but it won’t be a straight line, nor will everyone be happy at the same time.

[saulpw]

You're right, of course, it's always a mix. But it's a much different future if there are only 1% of people who are happy/stable/rich, and the other 99% in abject misery, vs 90% with stability and opportunity. Also the trajectory matters; people can endure a lot of difficulty with a positive attitude if their trajectory is improving, and much less if it's worsening (even if it's already really good!).

[al_borland]

Right, but we’ve been there before. Not “we” as in you and I, but “we” as in humanity. The Roman Empire was full of slaves while others were rich beyond measure. The dark ages weren’t so good. There was royalty and peasants. It’s said the Siddhartha Gautama started his quest which ultimately ended in the founding of Buddhism when he left the isolation of his lavish palace life and saw the suffering of the people for the first time. Even in the US, the gilded age saw immense wealth held by a select few, not to mention the divide in the south between slaves and plantation owners.

Things can and will get better, no matter how bad you think it is now or will get. A change could take 1000 years, but change is inevitable. And all things considered, thing are pretty good now, especially if you turn off the news. I just watched some compilation videos of Europeans in the US for the World Cup talking about how amazing everything is in the US and how they’ve been lied to their whole life. Chowing down on Texas bbq, in awe of Costco and Walmart, loving the beaches, free refills and self-service on soft drinks, finally understanding the value of air conditioning, etc.

The bad stuff is there if you look for it, of course, but so is the good.