Every generation seems to think that society is going straight to hell (all the way back to the Greeks). Yes we have some crazy problems to solve, but so does every generation. It seems that for most people, aging reduces the amount of energy they have to give, meaning less energy to stay in the fight. Fresh, energetic minds enter the time-stream with new perspectives and no baggage about how things should be, only how to deal with what is. I can say with certainty that the world has never lived in a perfect democratic society, and probably never will, there are no absolutes, only shades, ebbs and flows, only constant diligence keeps us pointed in the right direction, because the right direction is harder and takes more energy. The 50’s compared to the 20’s were a totalitarian nightmare, most of us alive today can not really even understand the strict social conservatism that permeated American culture back then. I remember my dad once told me that one of the few things he can remember about the 50s was getting a haircut twice a week. Then the 60s happened, then the 80’s crackdown, and on and on. I personally can find as many improvements as I can failures in our modern technological existence and social order. I can imagine our ancient ancestors being abhorred by our great-great-grandparents reliance on their version of modern technology, whereas some of us might idealize the good old days of the 1800’s as a more simple time, its all relative. Nothing ever turns out like we expect. As for population, growth in the US is 0.1% and has been declining since the 70’s, it just feels rough because most people are migrating to the cities, for good reason. Not to say that population is not an issue, but current projections are that world population will top-off at 10 billion by 2075. Fuck, I’m a goddam optimist. For me I guess hope springs eternal because the alternative is fear and despair.