Our universal reaction of disgust spurred a discussion about how life is so much easier these days. In some ways, true. But I have to say that people back then would probably find it dizzyingly complicated to live in our contemporary world. I know I do. I think we all need a nap.
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The other day David McCullough was on PBS reading from 1776 and lecturing on those times. He was talking about how tough people were back then. And, he said, it was rare that people were as beautiful as they are pictured. Certainly they weren't as beautiful as they were in Last of the Mohicans. Actually people still aren't as pretty as those people are. But man that soundtrack is awesome, right?
Anyway back then, McCullough explained, folks rarely had all or even most of their teeth, they had screwed up noses, scars from sores and pock marks from diseases we routinely beat now. He talked about how if you had a childhood injury to your leg, you likely walked with a limp the rest of your life. He mentioned how an abscessed tooth would oftentimes lead to a more serious infection and, many times, death. He talked how we are complainers and wussies. I agree with him. And I agree with you that the world is complex today. But I would say our world is (surprisingly) infinitely more survivable. I imagine statistics would bear this out.
Absolutely true. We're all self-obssessed hypochondriacs these days compared to the stiff upper lip mentality of the 18th century. In our defense, I think we live too long to be anything else.
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