Many people have differing opinions on whether the era we’re living in is the best in history or the worst we’ve ever seen. On one hand we have instant access to information, better technology and opportunities that didn’t exist even twenty years ago. You’re able to reach someone on the other side of the world in seconds, learn anything online and even build a career from your phone. Compared to the past, that sounds like an obvious win. However, living in this decade doesn’t always feel like “the best.”
There’s a difference between having more things physically and feeling better mentally. Social media keeps everyone connected, but it also puts constant pressure on people to compare their lives to the manufactured ones displayed on their for you pages. The same technology that makes life easier can also make it even more overwhelming.
There’s also the bigger picture to consider. This decade has been filled with uncertainty. Between global conflicts, economic stress and the lasting effects of a world-wide pandemic, a lot of people don’t feel stable; even students are feeling this tension. There’s pressure to succeed, figure out your future early and somehow keep up with everything at once.
At the same time, it would be wrong to ignore how far things have come for us. Healthcare has improved, and people have way more ways to express themselves and be heard. In many ways, life today is safer and more advanced than it was in the past. But the question still stands: Is this the best era in history?
Maybe it is in terms of progress. However that doesn’t automatically make it the best in terms of how people actually feel living through it.
Every single era has had its strengths and its struggles. This decade isn’t perfect, but no decade ever has been. What makes it ‘the best’ isn’t just the tech or the opportunities presented; it’s what people choose to do with them, and as of now, that’s still being figured out.
