Things can be both bad and better
There are a lot of good things happening. For example, academic education is within reach of far more people in poor countries, child mortality has dramatically improved, the number of malaria cases are down, and so forth.
Yet as long as things are still bad for so many people, we feel it’s heartless for us to say they’re getting better. Everything in the world is not fine, but it’s ridiculous to not acknowledge the progress that has been made.
But things can be both bad and better.
Think of the world as a premature baby in an incubator. The baby’s health status is extremely bad and her breathing, heart rate and other important signs are tracked continually so that changes for better or worse can be quickly seen. After a week, she is getting a lot better though she still has to stay in the incubator because her health is still critical.
Does it make sense to say that the infant’s situation is improving? Yes!
Does it make sense to say her health is bad? Yes!
It’s both bad and better! That is how we must think about the current state of the world.
[Excerpt from “Factfulness – Why things are better than you think” By Hans Rosling]
This entry was posted in Humanitarian Aid, International Cooperation, Uncategorized by Grant Montgomery.
2 thoughts on “Things can be both bad and better”
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A very good and inspiring news report! Thanks. I think it’s really important to be aware of all the ‘positive’ changes that are constantly happening in the world around us. With all the bad that’s happening, hearing this, is definitely something to be thankful for.
Meanwhile in America …Internet Giants like Facebook, Twitter, Google, and others are now wading deep into the business of censoring speech to carry out the bidding of government actors. Big Tech claims they’re waging war on so-called “fake news” and “propaganda,” while protecting users from alleged “hate speech” by silencing anti-establishment voices. — But who’s telling them what constitutes “fake news” or what individuals are “bad actors?”
As we learn more and more, evidence now clearly points to collusion between Big Tech and Big Gov. Facebook, for instance, has “hired” the Atlantic Council — a NATO, U.S. government, and foreign-funded “think tank” allegedly to combat “propaganda and misinformation” on its site. — Essentially, Facebook is turning to the U.S. government to decide what’s allowed to be posted or promoted on its site. Government-backed advisors will now declare whether or not your social media account/page is “fake” or acting as a “foreign agent.”
This is a dangerous development, and it’s only the beginning of what I fear is a broader crackdown on Internet Freedom. That’s why I’m counting on Campaign for Liberty’s members and supporters to TAKE a STAND and sign their Declaration of Internet Freedom right away! As you’ll see, this declaration puts Big Tech and Big Gov on notice: The American people will not stand for increased censorship and government intervention on the Internet.
http://www.chooseliberty.org/declaration-of-internet-freedom/