I’m often stunned at the level of luxury and convenience in our everyday lives. Although prices for just about everything have skyrocketed the past 5-10 years, the fact that we can purchase a ready-made meal in ten minutes for less than twenty dollars would shock and amaze our ancestors one generation removed.
And yet, most of us go about our lives with zero awareness of how good we have it.
Table salt is a great example. For centuries, salt was considered an exotic item available only to the rich. It’s hard to believe now but salt was once on par with gold in monetary value. It wasn’t until the industrial revolution and the advent of railroads, new methods of drilling and production that salt became an everyday item for all to enjoy. Although there are still exotic sea salts that can be purchased for much more, standard table salt can be yours for around $0.10 an ounce. This is a far cry from the $4500 price for an ounce of gold in todays market.
The transcontinental railroad connecting the eastern U.S rail network with the pacific coast was completed in 1869. Prior to this, the methods of transportation would’ve been horse, covered wagon or stepping one foot in front of another. A treacherous months-long trek through the wilderness of America was reduced to around 10 days by rail.
Rail travel was separated into 3 classes: First Class ($136/ticket or $3500 today), Second Class ($110/ticket or $2,800 today) and Third Class ($65 ticket or $1650 today). Keep in mind, these prices reflect one way tickets. Getting there and back would require you to pay double. America being a mostly agrarian society at the time, rail travel wasn’t something the everyday person would’ve been able to purchase.
Compare this to today. Depending on what time of year you fly and the “class” of flight chosen, you can hop on a plane to France tomorrow for around $1,000 round trip. A journey that would’ve taken weeks to complete by boat in the mid 1800s can be accomplished in around 8-10 hours in the air. Unless teleportation is invented, flying half way around the world in less than a day will always stand out as a feat of modern day ingenuity.
Approaching life with a grateful heart for the “little things” we take for granted on a daily basis will go a long way toward achieving happiness. Understanding how difficult life was for our ancestors is also important. Sleeping on a bed, in a clean room with indoor plumbing may have been a pipe dream for your grandparents. Advancements in modern dentistry allow us to use that same indoor plumbing to brush perfectly white and healthy teeth. Both of these would’ve been considered a luxury or a God send not too long ago.
It’s easy to take what we have for granted. Unless you’re Elon Musk, there’s always going to be someone in the world that has more than you. What we fail to recognize is there are far more people in the world that have way less. We live in a rich nation. Although we can point to the many ways our wealth isn’t distributed appropriately throughout the population, we’re a rich nation nonetheless.
In case you need a reminder, fire up the Commodore 64 and begin your journey along the Oregon Trail. Chances are, you won’t make it very far without dying of dysentery, cholera or typhoid fever.
Running out of airplane peanuts on the way to France takes on a whole new perspective.
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