A Ridiculous Timeframe to Ponder
We live in an unfathomable age. This is what floored me today.
Today out of spontaneous curiosity, I researched when the lightbulb was invented. I was amazed to learn (or probably, re-learn) that the electric lightbulb was not patented by Thomas Edison until 1880¹. Although prior iterations of the incandescent light were being developed in the early 1800s, the technology was far out of reach for the common person until longer-lasting and cheaper versions were made available.
By the 1920's, about half of homes in the US had electric light², although mostly in urban areas. Fast forward 100 years. Just one hundred, a number that is reasonably considered a human lifetime. And we see what we have today. Devices we carry in our pockets connected to huge swaths of our collective knowledge. Technology devised by our mushy brains which can detect distant corners of our universe. Medical technologies to make the human body last longer than ever imagined. In 100 years, the human potential has exploded.
Just thinking, for when we get to feeling down, what the next 100 years can be like if we use this power of advancement for good. Good for people, good for our planet.
And if you are a pessimist about human advancement, take a look at Steven Pinker’s book The Better Angels of Our Nature. We can always do better, but we’re doing pretty damn well.