We tend to think that progress is always good.

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We improve upon the past to build something better.

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And the world is constantly changing because of it.

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Yet our perspective is usually very limited.

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We see things from a narrow perspective.

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It is often helpful to widen that perspective to give us some clarity.

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If our grandparents or great grandparents could see us today, what would they think?

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How about their great grandparents?

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What would their perspective be?

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If we compare where we are today to where we were 100 or 1,000 years ago we see some stark contrasts.

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We have a much higher standard of living, yet our world is becoming more polluted every second.

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We have more rights and freedoms, yet have to prove who we are when we walk into a building.

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And our longevity seems to have increased tremendously, yet our food is more toxic and less nutritious than ever before.

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If our ancestors where alive today to see our world of course they would be confused by the technology.

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Yet the confusion around how we live and what we are doing to each other might seem insane.

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What was their vision of the future?

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What might they have expected to see?

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Yes, some things have improved greatly.

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The world is more civilized and peaceful than ever before.

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Yet the world could be destroyed many times over by the weapons we have created.

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We have explored every corner of the planet, even the poles.

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Yet we do not value the lands we have settled.

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It might seem ridiculous to see things through the eyes of our ancestors.

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Yet if we consider what we have lost from their time we might find our standards of progress will change.

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So what do you think your ancestors would say if they could see you today?

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Would they be proud, saddened or concerned by what they saw?

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~ Sam Liebowitz, The Conscious Consultant