For a small amount of perspective at this moment, imagine you were born in 1900. When you are 14, World War I starts, and ends on your 18th birth year with 22 million people killed. Later in the year, the Spanish Flu epidemic hits the planet and runs until you are 20. Fifty million people die from it in those two years. Yes 50 million.
When you are 29, the Great Depression begins. Unemployment hits 25%, global GDP drops 27%. That runs until you are 33. The country nearly collapses along with the world economy.
When you turn 39, World War II starts. You aren’t even over the hill yet.
When you are 41, the United States is fully pulled into WWII. Between your 39th and 45th birth year, 75 million people perish in the war and the Holocaust kills six million.
At 52the Korean War starts and 5 million perish.
Approaching your 62nd birth year you have the Cuban Missile Crisis, a tipping point for the Cold war. Life on our planet, as we know it, could have ended. Great leaders prevented it from happening.
At 64 the Vietnam War begins, and it doesn’t end for many years. Four million people die in that conflict.
As you turn 75, the Vietnam War finally ends. Think of everyone on the planet born in 1900. How do you survived all that? A kid in 1985 didn’t think their 85 year old grandparents understood how hard school was. Yet those grandparents (and now great grandparents) survived through everything listed above.
Perspective is an amazing art. Let’s try to keep things in perspective. Let’s be smart, help each other out, and we will get through all of this together. In the history of the world there has never been a storm that lasted. This too shall pass.
So embrace the suck and get it done.
When you are 29, the Great Depression begins. Unemployment hits 25%, global GDP drops 27%. That runs until you are 33. The country nearly collapses along with the world economy.
When you turn 39, World War II starts. You aren’t even over the hill yet.
When you are 41, the United States is fully pulled into WWII. Between your 39th and 45th birth year, 75 million people perish in the war and the Holocaust kills six million.
At 52the Korean War starts and 5 million perish.
Approaching your 62nd birth year you have the Cuban Missile Crisis, a tipping point for the Cold war. Life on our planet, as we know it, could have ended. Great leaders prevented it from happening.
At 64 the Vietnam War begins, and it doesn’t end for many years. Four million people die in that conflict.
As you turn 75, the Vietnam War finally ends. Think of everyone on the planet born in 1900. How do you survived all that? A kid in 1985 didn’t think their 85 year old grandparents understood how hard school was. Yet those grandparents (and now great grandparents) survived through everything listed above.
Perspective is an amazing art. Let’s try to keep things in perspective. Let’s be smart, help each other out, and we will get through all of this together. In the history of the world there has never been a storm that lasted. This too shall pass.
So embrace the suck and get it done.
