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The good life continues
CARDINAL’S COMMENT
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| By Cardinal George Pell
7 January, 2007 |
The year 2006 began badly with the Cronulla riots and the Maroubra reprisal raid, but we avoided racial violence for the remainder of the year. Australia has 3500 troops serving overseas and Iraq, or parts of it, is on the brink of civil war.
We continue to be threatened by drought and bushfires.
But the good life continues for most Australians.
Not one of us likes to confront doom personally and we sympathise with those trapped in regular gloom, but nearly everyone is interested to read about doom and gloom, particularly in far away places or among the rich and famous. We can be surprised by good news. I was recently.
Throughout most of the world the quality of life is improving and especially for the poorest.
This is neither a wild claim nor simply a matter of opinion, but justified by statistics.
I know that there are lies, damned lies and statistics, which can be tortured (so it is claimed) until they say whatever is desired.
But people are living longer, with more food and clean water available, much better infant mortality and literacy rates and much less child labour.
Sub-Saharan Africa is going backwards and North Korea remains impoverished, but otherwise life is getting better. I realise that billions remain unacceptably poor, but more people than ever are being liberated from extreme poverty.
And this is being brought about by science, technology and market economics, provided governments are not corrupt or grossly incompetent and the elite have a social conscience, accepting a sound moral, legal and economic framework.
In the Middle Ages few people lived to their 30th birthday.
In 1901 life expectancy around the world was 31 years and today it has risen to 67.
In China and India the life span of two billion people has almost doubled to 71 years in China today and 63 in India.
In poor countries the daily ration of food has risen 38 per cent since the 1960s, while the population there rose by 83 per cent; 17 per cent are under nourished today, half the rate of 45 years ago.
Before the Industrial Revolution one child in five died before his first birthday, while today global infant mortality is 57 per 1000.
More children are at school and fewer are at work, with global illiteracy declining from 46 per cent in 1970 to 18 per cent today and only 10 per cent of 10 to 14 year olds are now working rather than 25 per cent as in 1960.
Pollution is diminished wherever there is a free press and natural resources are being used more efficiently.
A tonne of coal produces 12 times more electricity than 100 years ago, and agricultural productivity has increased dramatically.
None of this is an excuse for ignoring what remains to be done to diminish human misery.
But such progress represents one of mankind’s greatest achievements, which should be celebrated and acknowledged.
A happy New Year to everyone.
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