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If so, why do you think that? If not, what do you think was the most stressful time period and why?
I think not. Taking a backward glance through history, I tend to think that throughout time people have had as much stress as they could stand.
Our time differs only in that we have brought the Earth to the brink of destruction, and for the first time in history, we could face the extinction of the human race - IF (big IF) God does not intervene, but as a Christian, I believe He will. YMMV.
Amazing the power that Hollywood has to brainwash people
Life is more stressful now, are you kidding me???
What are you comparing it to?
the people that left Europe for a land they knew nothing about?
Black people in the U.S. not knowing when somebody is gonna burn their house?
Native Americans on the trail of tears?
People that had to help civil war wounded soldiers because the war was taking place a mile from their house?
Or are you comparing to what Hollywood shows in their movies?
Today we have running clean water, electricity, TV to tell us when a hurricane or tornado is gonna hit our house, etc, etc
Are 21st century humans more stressed out than humans who lived in the past?
I don't think so.
Just walk through a graveyard that dates from, say, the 1940s and earlier. Look at the ages etched on the tombstones for a bit of a reality check. Death, sickness, injury, war, epidemics, childbirth/maternal and infant mortality rates, etc - very stressful.
I actually think that probably the most stressful periods in human history were probably when the Black Death was rampant across the globe. This plague killed 1/3 of the population of Europe - and it wasn't limited to Europe either. This caused massive social upheaval and a redistribution of wealth and property.
Old time is the hardest time for life. The resources were not available to solve problems. In this world, now various products are available in the market for to do work in less time and without efforts.
There are a lot of a little things today to stress one out. The information feed, whether it is correct or not, is constant, 24/7. I find it stressful that so many of the headlines are incorrect, that one has to check them out to get the real story and even if they do, odds are they are not going to get the issuer to change their tune.
HOWEVER.................
stress today is not the stress of the second half of the 20th century where nuclear war was hanging over one's head. That is a mighty big thing especially when one thinks about all the matches that were next to that fuse.
Is the "threat" of society going down the tubes in an EMP burst or an economic collapse the same or worst? Perhaps..............
....................but maybe we fear death more than a lingering demise.
There are a lot of a little things today to stress one out. The information feed, whether it is correct or not, is constant, 24/7. I find it stressful that so many of the headlines are incorrect, that one has to check them out to get the real story and even if they do, odds are they are not going to get the issuer to change their tune.
HOWEVER.................
stress today is not the stress of the second half of the 20th century where nuclear war was hanging over one's head. That is a mighty big thing especially when one thinks about all the matches that were next to that fuse.
Is the "threat" of society going down the tubes in an EMP burst or an economic collapse the same or worst? Perhaps..............
....................but maybe we fear death more than a lingering demise.
Maybe.
Today so much of the stress comes form there being too much, too much choice between nearly identical stuff, too much worry about things which we've made into worry, too much stress in general from life. It's also for younger adults the uncertainty of the future. It not giant monsters like the bomb, but slow, and enexorable changes.
But for those of us who grew up with the bomb hanging over our heads... and all those matches we all knew about, there was a certain sense of the imperminance of life, this dark shadow which stayed with you even though you didn't know when or if. And even if we didn't know them then, our parents who'd had to put life on the line in a world war's outlook on life had its effect.
In a way we had things with names to feel disturbed by. But they were shadows. I think the current younger generations are not that different. As youth they might have seen the Twin Towers. They had boogymen all around. But as they get to adulthood the stress and fears are about getting a job, losing it, how to support a family, security and the hard part of dealing with your kids are not that much different than today.
I wonder how many of us have wondered and debated with ourselves if the END comes, if its the end of the world as we know it forever, would we rather die soon than see everything you knew slip away as you became just a survivor?
I'm not sure where or why you got/get the idea that the nuclear threat is over; it isn't. We've never been closer to a nuclear holocaust than we are today.
May I suggest that you take the time to listen to political activist Noam Chomsky on the subject?
World renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Noam Chomsky discusses the 2 greatest threats to human civilization and current level of habitability of the planet, namely Nuclear.
I'm not sure where or why you got/get the idea that the nuclear threat is over; it isn't. We've never been closer to a nuclear holocaust than we are today.
May I suggest that you take the time to listen to political activist Noam Chomsky on the subject?
World renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Noam Chomsky discusses the 2 greatest threats to human civilization and current level of habitability of the planet, namely Nuclear.
If so, why do you think that? If not, what do you think was the most stressful time period and why?
Moderator cut: Off Topic
I do NOT think we are more stressed than previous generations, Especially the farther we go back. Why? Simple. Our amenities. Technology. Nutrition. Health care. Overall quality of living. Hell, we are in relative Opulence nowadays compared to many who came before who had to eek out a living. (And yes I AM aware that we still have starvation and poverty. But I am speaking on general terms. Right now is the Best and Easiest time to have ever lived on this planet.
Because NOTHING is more stressful that worrying about survival. Where your next meal is coming from. Shelter. Security. Tribal rule. Mass ethnic cleansing. Warlords. Disease, famine and petulance. Some of the things that went on back in the day, say the Middle or Dark Ages that were considered par for the course are downright unthinkable today. The stress and toil of just procuring water or food. Hunting. All that hard work. Nobody, no generation has ever burned less calories than we do today. Especially us Americans.
We are also living in the most peaceful time ever!!! This will surprise many. Doubt me? Look it up. Google, "Modern society is most peaceful time ever?" or ""less war today than EVER on Earth?" and you'll get dozens of hits proving my claim.
Anybody who thinks life is unprecedentedly hard today is simply spoiled. Or ignorant as to the plight common to many of our Ancestors.
This all reminds me of something I once read by a guy who grew-up with parents who ran a zoo. The man continued in this field, got his degree in Zoology. Wrote books, etc. he was speaking of some of the common fallacies and misconceptions people have about zoos and the inhabiting animals. One of the great, great, myths is when folks say, "Oh, those poor animals! they must hate it here, being caged up! I wish we could free them!"
Wrong. The animals love it. Even the ones NOT born into captivity. What they hate is interference into their comfy routines! They need not worry about predators or food or survival. Everything is handed to them. Unlike their "free" counterparts who spend every waking moment is a frantic race for survival. Think about this. And by far the most dangerous animal in those zoos? The one that hurts or kills more animals than any other? Humans. By far. This from the author. You would be shocked and disgusted at some of the stories he had about what idiots do to these animals, you know, just "for fun."
So all you here who claim the hi-tech world and the hustle and bustle is just oh so stressful? Well, ya need to read-up on your World History a little. Then you might get an inkling of just how damn fortunate most of us are.
A guy making, say $8.00 and hour here in America, living in a little one-br. apartment even in a sketchy part of a big city, who lives paycheck to paycheck, but still does not go hungry and eats tuna and Hamburger Helper? Who drives to work in a 20 y.o. jalopy? But who can go home at night and eat a hot meal and sleep in a real bed with heating and a/c?
LOL--THAT guy is living better that 90% of ALL humans who have ever been born. Believe it.
And then count your blessings.
Moderator cut: Off Topic
Last edited by Jeo123; 09-05-2015 at 01:48 PM..
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