The First World

I, like almost every other person out there, has often wondered what their purpose is in life. This question is as old as time itself, and I suspect that the answer is beyond human comprehension. I often contemplate this question when I feel depressed, listless, exhausted, and more or less feeling like all I have been doing the last five years is spinning my wheels.

Why is it that countless citizens of the developed world are so miserable, that they take antidepressants like candy? Is it so that they forget their faults? Is it because they are preoccupied with their jobs that they neglect everything else? Or is it the fact that we are so conditioned that we actually believe that money buys happiness?

If we reflect back one hundred years, and view what the country (Canada) was like back then, I imagine we would be quite surprised. Surprised that is, on how much alike the living conditions were in comparison to today. There was oil, natural gas, electricity, and to some degree, plumbing. There was trade, mass transportation (train), a stock market, civilian transportation (horse-drawn), department stores (the Hudson's Bay Company existed even in the 17th Century), sports, theaters, and of course, hotels and taverns. The difference between today and a century ago is our reliance on commodities such as utilities and transportation for survival. Advances in medicine has also allowed us to live longer.

The cost of living back then was much less than what it is today. Inflation is a large contributing factor, but there are many other factors that have made it so much more expensive to live in the developed world. Taxes are first and foremost. At the turn of the Twentieth Century, income tax did not exist in Canada. There was no GST, or PST. Even today, there are so many hidden taxes in the things we buy, that often you do not notice that the money you are shelling out is going straight to the Government. The money you pay when you purchase alcohol, tobacco, and petroleum products are mostly government taxes. Chances are, these items weren't taxed a century ago. Even the food we buy often have hidden taxes and tariffs on them, depending on if they were imported from a foreign nation.

What would happen if it were possible to bring a person from the early 20th Century, and assimilate them into modern society? Would they be able to survive? Would they have an interest in commodities we consider 'essential"? Would they shy away from computers and the Internet? Would they see a need for more than one vehicle? What about television or cellular phones? Would they trust automated banking machines or credit cards? I would think if they saw the houses we live in today, they would consider them mansions.

They might marvel in our wondrous medical technology, conversely they might find it difficult to accept the fact that we put men on the moon, or that we harnessed the destructive power of the atom. One thing that they would find appalling, is the amount of debt that we, as citizens and as a country have. They would find it unrealistic that the average North American citizen lives between 15 and 30 percent beyond what they can afford. They would definitely find it prohibitively expensive to live in a country like Canada or the United States.

A generation ago, a person could graduate from high school, find a job, and expect to make enough money to support themselves and a family. This does not exist today. The demand for skilled labor, and heavy competition (even from foreign workers) have made it necessary for nearly every citizen to have a post-secondary education in order to make a living wage. What happens a generation from now? Will I expect to put my children through medical school in order from them to make a living wage? If so, I'd better win the lottery soon; I can't imagine what a post-secondary education would cost 25 years from now.

All I see is the cost of living in the First World to be spiraling out of control. I find this perplexing, as that countless families in the Third World often survive on less than one US dollar a day. The cost of living is much, much less, living conditions are much poorer, and medical care is almost non-existent. If I were given the chance, I would love to visit these poor families in select developing nations. I would bet my bankroll that these poor people are generally happier than us privileged North Americans. We have everything, and comparatively, they have nothing. Why is it that we are so miserable, and they live more fulfilling lives?

This was a question I had hoped to explore in this posting, however, it will have to wait for another entry.