I’m going to say something that is going to sound controversial. Our ordinary lives are better today than even the wealthiest people from 150 years ago. That’s right, I think the average person today is living better than the wealthiest people from 150 years ago.
150 years ago really isn’t that long ago in the big scheme of things. After all, the earth is more than 4.5 billion years old and we’re talking about a sliver of that time.
As I write this post, we are in the year 2025. 150 years ago would have been 1875. Whenever you’re feeling down or a little ungrateful, think about how our lives are better now than 150 years ago.
Here are 10 ways our lives are better than 150 years ago.
Number 1: Commercial Flights
We can fly pretty much anywhere we want to in the world. All you have to do is buy your ticket, pack your bags, and head to an airport.
Airplanes are statistically safer than cars. And of course they are safer than the ships they used in the 1800’s to transport people across continents.
Number 2: Sunscreen
I personally try to stay in the shade or indoors during peak sun hours, but if I’m going to be out, I can put on sunscreen.
UV rays can be at peak levels and I can be outside with sunscreen and not have to worry about coming home looking like a lobster. It hasn’t always been that way.
Number 3: Reliable Cars
I know I often take it for granted when I put my car in gear and expect it to go. Then I take the car on the freeway, easily traveling with the flow of traffic. In little time, I’m at my destination and get to repeat the cycle again the next day and the next day.
It wasn’t that long ago that cars frequently broke down on the side of the road or wouldn’t start in the driveway before work. They’re not 100% reliable (what is), but they’re pretty close.
Number 4: GPS
I was 16 when I got my first job. It was a temp job in Hayward, California which was about 15 minutes from the house I grew up in. My dad and I drove to the job site the night before so I would know where to go early in the morning.
The next morning I made it to the general area but of course got lost, as many 16 year olds would (or at least that 16 year old). After stopping at two or three gas stations to ask for directions, I finally found the place.
Now whenever I go somewhere new, I plug the address into my GPS and boom, I’m seamlessly there. No getting lost, no asking for directions, just follow what the GPS tells me to do.
Number 5: Access to Fresh And Healthy Foods
Fresh and healthy foods are just a quick car ride away for most people. Pop into the grocery store, make your selection, check out and you’ve got it.
You don’t need to own a farm or have a neighbor with a farm to get the foods you want.
Number 6: The Internet
The idea of the internet to someone living 150 years ago would have been unfathomable. Access to that much information and resources from your phone, tablet, or desktop was an impossible dream.
Yet, that’s exactly what many of us have today without even thinking about it.
Number 7: Thousands of Miles of Paved Roads
Want to drive from San Francisco to New York? You can. How about Miami to Seattle? You can do that too.
We literally have thousands of paved roads in this country that allow us to go safely from city to city, state to state. If you don’t appreciate this, drive in an area with gravel roads. As the rocks kick up on your car, you’ll gain a new appreciation for what we have.
Number 8: Reliable Heat and Cooling
Most buildings have some kind of climate control. When it’s hot, crank up the AC. When it’s cold, turn on the heat.
This is a luxury most people didn’t have 150 years ago. People had to bundle up in the winter (in their houses) and find ways to cool off during the summer heat. Whether it was winter or summer, it was uncomfortable.
Number 9: Better Healthcare
Healthcare in America has its share of problems, I don’t think anyone is denying that. It’s also hard to deny that healthcare today is infinitely better than it was 150 years ago.
The quality of healthcare we get today greatly exceeds the quality of what even the wealthier person could get. The medicines, treatments, sterilization processes, and healthcare professionals knowledge is vastly superior to anything years ago.
Number 10: Overall Technology
Technology as a whole is so far advanced compared to 10 years ago, much less 150 years ago. The absolute wealthiest people in the world 150 years ago didn’t have anything close to what we enjoy today.
Fast internet, large TV’s with crystal clear pictures, water cleansing systems, smart phones. The list could go on forever.
