humans have never had it better. In what way?

Politics and Social Issues
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There are many reasons why now is the very best time for humans.
Aren’t you glad you don’t have to worry about being strung up to a cross and left to die?

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More happy that we have gained a considerable amount of control over disease. Have established an agricultural system that prevents famine from being a regular problem for most of us, etc.

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There are many reasons why now is the very best time for humans. Aren't you glad you don't have to worry about being strung up to a cross and left to die? http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sex-murder-and-the-meaning-life/201204/is-the-world-becoming-nicer-place-live
Yea, interesting study. I got a feeling there's a bit of fancy math going on their - keep in mind "per capita" as opposed to "actual numbers"
http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/ 7 Billion (2011) According to the United Nations, world population reached 7 Billion on October 31, 2011. The US Census Bureau made a lower estimate, for which the 7 billion mark was only reached on March 12, 2012. 6 Billion (1999) According to the United Nations, the 6 billion figure was reached on October 12, 1999 (celebrated as the Day of 6 Billion). According to the U.S. Census Bureau instead, the six billion milestone was reached on July 22, 1999, at about 3:49 AM GMT. Yet, according to the U.S. Census web site, the date and time of when 6 billion was reached will probably change because the already uncertain estimates are constantly being updated. Previous Milestones 5 Billion: 1987 4 Billion: 1974 3 Billion: 1960 2 Billion: 1927 1 Billion: 1804
Although on that same page you'll find that the growth rate has actually been dropping since the mid-sixties and in fact seems poised to enter a negative growth rate pretty soon - indicating that all is not as peachy wonderful as some would like us to believe.
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More happy that we have gained a considerable amount of control over disease. Have established an agricultural system that prevents famine from being a regular problem for most of us, etc.
I don't deny any of that, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times, depending on what side of border you're born on, well the right color helps an awful lot too. This weekend by virtue of a very smart, well placed, sister, I got a glimpse of some of the latest cancer therapies and it is truly astounding beyond comprehension what's been discovered and developed over the past decades and particularly this past one. I'll share some of that in a later thread. But, I'm not sure how all that compensates for all the varied back-sliding your right-wing types remain blind to. Agriculture in particular is a frightening example. Looking back, advances have been amazing, too amazing in fact, to be sustainable. Now given what we have done to our weather systems (been paying any attention the past decades weather, this is just the beginning rumbles of the show we, collectively, have created for ourselves.
Study finds growing evidence of global warming threat to future food supplies Jan 15, 2013 http://phys.org/news/2013-01-evidence-global-threat-future-food.html
It remains to be seen how California agriculture will weather this next growing season. But, will we learn anything from it? ================================================================ This guy seems to sum it up fairly well:
FRED KIRSCHENMANN SPEAKS ON THE 4 MAJOR THREATS TO INDUSTRIALIZED AGRICULTURE: ENERGY CONSTRAINTS, WATER, CLIMATE CHANGE, AND ECOLOGICAL DEGRADATION http://www.bigpictureagriculture.com/2010/09/fred-kirschenmann-speaks-on-4-major.html