We tend to think that progress is always good.
We improve upon the past to build something better.
And the world is constantly changing because of it.
Yet our perspective is usually very limited.
We see things from a narrow perspective.
It is often helpful to widen that perspective to give us some clarity.
If our grandparents or great grandparents could see us today, what would they think?
How about their great grandparents?
What would their perspective be?
If we compare where we are today to where we were 100 or 1,000 years ago we see some stark contrasts.
We have a much higher standard of living, yet our world is becoming more polluted every second.
We have more rights and freedoms, yet have to prove who we are when we walk into a building.
And our longevity seems to have increased tremendously, yet our food is more toxic and less nutritious than ever before.
If our ancestors where alive today to see our world of course they would be confused by the technology.
Yet the confusion around how we live and what we are doing to each other might seem insane.
What was their vision of the future?
What might they have expected to see?
Yes, some things have improved greatly.
The world is more civilized and peaceful than ever before.
Yet the world could be destroyed many times over by the weapons we have created.
We have explored every corner of the planet, even the poles.
Yet we do not value the lands we have settled.
It might seem ridiculous to see things through the eyes of our ancestors.
Yet if we consider what we have lost from their time we might find our standards of progress will change.
So what do you think your ancestors would say if they could see you today?
Would they be proud, saddened or concerned by what they saw?
~ Sam Liebowitz, The Conscious Consultant