The perils of wanting (and having) more.
Our societies are safer than ever (even though the media paint a different picture for the sake of ratings), there is more peace in the world than ever before (yes, the past was much more violent than we can possibly conceive), and people are healthier than ever. Basic needs have been covered so well on a global scale that there are now almost eight billion of us, whereas just 200 years ago we were 'only' one billion.
And yet it seems that we are more unhappy and anxious than ever. What went wrong? Clearly we are placing our eggs in the wrong basket.
University degrees mean less than they ever did, housing is more expensive and less available than ever, and expectations in the workplace leave no space or time for ourselves due to an assumption that we will be available 24/7. Life is still by all intents and purposes hard, but in a completely new way.
So maybe being told that our jobs should be meaningful, that our relationships should be painless and photogenic, and that we are all somehow special and destined for greatness, has caused frustration and disappointment rather than salvation.
And most damning of all, maybe being told that we can be anyone and do anything has created expectations so high, that being ordinary is just not good enough anymore. Willingly giving away that precious yet basic sense of satisfaction of having a normal life is the greatest cost that modern men and women have been asked to pay.
