Thank you for bravely standing alone from the crowd of complainers to give us some historical perspective. Your article won't move the dial at all for the those determined to handcuff themselves to a story of generalized decay and collapse. But fortunately the Medium readership isn't fully representative of general sentiment across western civilizations. There's a ~15% sliver on the far left and the far right composed of marginalized people who have not done well and wish to associate their situation with a failing civilization narrative. We will eventually realize that the only intelligent conversation is with people closer to the center, and people actively engaged in pursuit of their hopes and dreams.