When I think about people living generations ago, I catch myself picturing their lives as full of agony, either from the constant threat of disease or just from having to walk everywhere.

But people get used to anything, which means that folks in every era likely had that same conflicting dual thought of “I have it better than a lot of people before me, and yet I’ll never get to see how cool it’s going to get.”

This means that if you were alive during, let’s say, the 1400s, you’re probably pretty pumped about the printing press (if you can read) but you know that you aren’t going to live long enough to see the rise of something like the Kindle (if you have time to read). So let me tell you this, dude from the 1400s, enjoy what you’ve got because it’s 2014 and we still haven’t stumbled upon the device to finally cure human longing. In fact, all those other diseases we cured are just giving us MORE time to soak up the ennui of existence without the perspective that comes with looming death. So enjoy that plague while you can, buddy!

wes