Things continue to get worse and worse. Or so the media – mainstream and other – and the talk shows and the political speechifying and the economics gurus and the warmongers tell us.

(Well, dear Camilla and poor old Uncle Joe are telling us how wonderful things are and how they’ve been getting better for almost three-and-a-half years, and will for another 4+ years if we just bow down before them. But who believes them?)

Religiously the premillenialists and the “Jew’s are God’s people” gang all say things are getting bad but that is necessary for things to get really, really great! And The Donald and the Trumpistas tell us things are really bad and will continue to get bad up until 20 January 2025, after which things will start getting better and better!

Don’t believe any of them. Not global climate change. Not economic collapse. Not horrific plagues or even bogus ones. And not even war.

In world history, there have seldom been any REAL periods when things were going very well, when there weren’t wars and more wars and rumors of wars (predictions). Indeed, some historians will admit there has never been any time in recorded history when there wasn’t combat going on someplace or another.

It isn’t much different in the other areas: there are always diseases. There are always people and companies and especially governments that have gone belly up, lost everything, and had to start all over. And folks, the climate is always changing: little ice ages and rebounding temperatures. Floods and storms and droughts and all the rest. And yes, even without human “help” there are always and have always been plants and animals going extinct.

And although everything is supposed to be going wrong (and wronger), things are always going wrong some place. From getting kicked out of Eden right up to this very minute.

But that should not and does not mean that there is no hope for the future. And when you look at what virtually every human before 1900 or so had to live with (and often die because of), things have generally gotten better and better. And continue to do so. Not everyone everywhere, but more and more people in more and more places. And for longer and longer times.

Frankly, we are spoiled. And badly taught and trained to expect that eventually, we will be in a no-risk world. At the same time, communications is making every place in the world (and at least near-earth orbit and Luna) next door: news of disasters, just bad news in general, rumors of wars and earthquakes and blizzards and typhoons. We get them fed to us in the comfort of our armchairs every minute of every hour.

At least every hour we keep the silly things turned on.

Maybe we should turn them off now and then. (Disclaimer: we can say that because all of us here at TPOL don’t make a skinny copper penny from anything we publish online. And if we print something out hardcopy and give it out, the cost comes our of our pockets.)

Because, stupid as we humans are most of the time, God made us smarter than everything else on this planet and in this star system (if not everywhere!). He also gave us a drive to push, to overcome, to confront and go over obstacles. Even when the odds are stacked against us. Even when the odds are the humans who have forgotten Who made them and that the rest of humanity is not their natural and well-deserved prey. The parasites, the lovers of self and power and wealth, the enemies of liberty.

In the long run, they will fail. In the short run, it may be harder to see, but liberty IS gaining, slowly but surely. We who love liberty will gain it. And the more we accept that, the better we can deal with those who don’t want us to be free. Whether they are religious, political, economic, or just plain psychopaths.

Think on these things!