We Never See Our Best Times
I recently wrote a historical book on the Gupta Empire. This sent me on a thinking spree about what makes one era a golden age and not another. How do we create a golden age? How can one empire naturally usher in a golden age without planning for it? Or does that mean an era can be considered a golden age only in hindsight?
In my author's note about the Gupta Empire, I answered structurally that an overall progress of civilization without resorting to military oppression can be considered a golden age—where the people are happy, the military is strong, intellectual minds are producing new theories, and there are new inventions and discoveries. It's safe to say that the Roman Empire today appears like a true golden age, especially under Augustus Caesar.
In modern terms, America appears to be in a golden age. They are militarily superior and technologically superior. All major companies are American. This makes them the global power. But if you ask an American if they are living in a golden age, they would vehemently deny it. They would say something like they are living in hell. So while historically America can be considered a golden age, from people's beliefs it cannot be.
We nostalgically look back toward the 1980s as the most beautiful period. The West hates immigrants, and in the '80s there were the fewest immigrants. They weren't struggling with the issues of today, so they miss the simpler times.
But if you read any news story or public opinion from the 1980s, you would find the same vehement denial—they thought they were living in the worst phase of human history. They were tired of diseases. They were flooded with bad postmodern architecture, unlike the older, more beautiful ones. They had food adulteration problems, they had AIDS, and they had economic problems that are theoretically resolved in today's times. And yet we aren't considering today as a golden era.
This reflects that our current problems always seem bigger to us compared to the opportunities presented to us. Every era comes with its problems and opportunities. If you zoom in—that is, if you ask the people whether they are happy—you wouldn't get helpful responses. The general consensus would be negative. The moment you zoom out and observe civilization from a historical point of view, you would be convinced that people are lunatics and cannot see how beautiful the world has become.
I can practically hear the cackling laughter of the devil and pity from God at the sheer stupidity of humanity. This only cements my belief that humans cannot see beyond their immediate problems. Even if they learn to think big, it is not helpful to them. They have to live with the problems they face. They try to put the blame on a relative, on their friends, on their bosses, and escalating upward to the government and in some cases even God.
Does this mean people's opinions or their problems are different from the era they are living in? Absolutely not. This requires additional nuance, and perhaps that's why historians have such widely differing opinions. One needs to adopt a different lens to understand the times we are living in.
General people have to solve problems, so it is impossible for them to look beyond the problems they have to solve. A parent with an ailing child would hate the medical system for being expensive and unable to make their child better. But a different lens with broader perspective would tell us that medical progress has been tremendous. If you ask the people, they will say the times are bad. If you look at the time, it will appear good but will ignore people's problems.
This is why no matter how much we train ourselves to think from thirty thousand feet, it's nearly impossible to do so. Because the problems aren't going away, the causes behind those problems will not go away. So when the people in any era can only think in isolation with a narrow worldview, their opinions will never be enough to define an era accurately. There will never be a time when people don't have problems. People engage with other people and their environment, which is how every conflict develops. As long as there are conflicts, there will not be contentment.
Being optimistic pays well because it makes you look for the bigger picture. Think of your life from where you were and where you have come; look for the opportunities in your surroundings. Instead of envy, look for the possibilities for progress, regardless of who you are.
In conclusion, we are in a golden age from a historical standpoint. But it depends solely on the lens we choose to view the world through. The problems have to be solved with narrow focus—it requires you to resolve the conflicts of routine. For progress, you must expand your worldview and think of the opportunities that the times have presented you with.
This is why one must read history to expand their worldview, and philosophy to increase internal awareness so you can define your problems better.