It is a common notion that we are often bombarded with distressing news. However, one could argue that the uneventful fact of 90,000 successful airplane landings worldwide or the lack of incidents on the M50, would hardly make headlines. There is a tendency to focus on the negative aspects of life, yet it is vital to reflect on how far we have advanced.
Although it may not thrill cynics or naysayers, the reality is that life has significantly improved. Across a span of over a century, every parameter of living from health, occupation to education has seen drastic improvements. For example, people now live on an average, twenty-five years longer as compared to the times when public execution was a norm in civil wars. Infant mortality, which stood at seven percent in the mid-twentieth century, has drastically reduced with about 95.5 percent of babies surviving their first year by 2000. Today, our nation ranks among the safest for young adults.
Over the past few decades, these advancements have been consistent, but the last two decades, in particular, have seen a notable surge. Occupational fatalities have halved compared to the figures at the start of this century. Today, half of all adults hold tertiary level qualifications, a significant rise from the time when only secondary education was free. Almost everyone is gainfully employed now, a marked contrast to the days of dwindling job opportunities and economic crises.
As I share these positive trends, you mustn’t lose interest as you would in a drawn-out referendum. Interestingly, many developing countries have also shown significant progress over time. It’s also worth mentioning that we are among the very few countries that have elected a female as the head of state, with only Bangladesh and Iceland leading us in this regard.
In 1950, severe poverty engulfed three-fourths of the global population, accounting for a rough figure of 10 per cent. A significant poverty reduction occurred in China, with 800 million individuals escaping destitution within a span of three decades. This timeframe also marked an unprecedented surge in tertiary education levels, dwarfing the cumulative advancements made over the past three millennia.
Much of this progress has been noted in regions currently referred to as ‘the third world’ and ‘deep south’, regardless of their geographical placement in relation to the equator. Interestingly, the younger generation from countries such as India, China, Indonesia, and Nigeria hold an optimistic view that their lives will be better than their preceding generation, a mindset that starkly contrasts with the perspective of the youth in the western part of the UK.
I am planning to return to the tour next week, a plan that was not mistakenly made.
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