Happy July 4th

I grew up in India. I moved to the United States 10 years ago. It is my home now and I’m very proud of it. Yes, a lot of bad sh** goes down here. But there’s a lot of good sh** here too. And it’s overwhelmingly a net positive.

It’s human nature to pay more attention to anecdotal data (stories) and generalize from them. But the picture we then end up with is often not true. It’s scientific to look beyond the symptoms, to focus on aggregate data and experimental design, and to understand the underlying causes and effects. And by all the measures we measure, the world is truly getting better.

Positive reinforcement is the only way to create lasting behavior change. We need to acknowledge all the good we are collectively achieving and continue doing all the things we do right. We must ignore negativity and fear because the neural pathways they trigger result in very short term thinking. We don’t need short term thinking. Empathy and compassion are the only way for every selfish need to be met in a sustainable way. We are too connected.

The chart below shows what we have achieved so far and what we still need to do. Let’s pat ourselves on the back, let’s continue to work together and let’s never stop being awesome:

“Fortunately, for the first time in human history, a world in which every person has access to food, water, shelter, healthcare, and education is in reach. This goal of sustainable prosperity is not only within reach, it is amazingly within reach during our lifetime”

[The World is Actually Getting Better]