Imagine that you were born in 1900. On your 14th birthday, World War I begins and ends on your 18th birthday. 22 million people die in that war. At the end of the year, a Spanish flu epidemic hits the planet and lasts until your 20th birthday. 50 million people die from it in those two years. Yes, 50 million. On your 29th birthday, the Great Depression begins. Unemployment reaches 25%, and the global GDP drops by 27%. This continues until you’re 33. The country almost collapses along with the global economy. When you turn 39, World War II begins. You haven’t even reached the top of the hill yet. And don’t catch your breath. On your 41st birthday, the United States is fully drawn into World War II. Between the ages of 39 and 45, 75 million people die in the war. At 50, the Korean War begins. 5 million perish. At 55, the Vietnam War begins and doesn’t end for 20 years. 4 million people perish in that conflict. On your 62nd birthday, you have the Cuban Missile Crisis, a turning point in the Cold War. Life on our planet, as we know it, was supposed to end. Great leaders prevented that from happening. When you turn 75, the Vietnam War finally ends. Think of everyone on the planet born in 1900. How do you survive all of this? When you were a child in 1985, you didn’t think your 85-year-old grandfather understood how hard school was. And how mean that boy in your class was. Yet, they survived through everything listed above. Perspective is an incredible art, refined over time and enlightening in ways you wouldn’t believe. Let’s try to keep things in perspective.
