system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
CMV: We're living through the best period of human history there has ever been - people globally have never had it better.

Modern humans are safer, richer, smarter, healthier, and happier than humans have ever been before.  Let's say 'modern' is approximately since the turn of the millennium. I think you can apply any metric to this and the conclusion is the same - our species is at its greatest point in time, so far. 

There's a huge amount of sensationalism and doom flowing from both sides of the political spectrum, through media and the politicians themselves. It's easy to buckle under the pressure and perceive humanity in a negative light. It's easy to woe at the state of the world, as if there isn't an unfathomable amount to be proud of in our history, which has brought us to this point of relative greatness. 

Poverty is at a record low, violence is at a record low, scientific progress is at a record high, medicine is at a record high, individual freedom is at a record high, oppression is at a record low. I can dig up sources for this but its intuitive - *surely* this is the greatest of all times.

Change my view, through any means, statistical or philosophical. I'm interested if my optimism is as flawed as the pessimism I see regularly and dismiss quickly.
gpt
It depends what metric you use. From an environmental standpoint, the world is way more overpopulated than it was 20 years ago. The effects of climate change are being noticed. Natural disasters are doing more damage to more people.   
   
Since 9/11 fear of terrorism has skyrocketed, and airline travel and border security worldwide has become much more strict, and thus less convenient.  
  
24 hour news has increased our exposure to news, but has decreased the quality of news. News outlets tend to focus more on emotional response and less on fact reporting. It is difficult to get an unbiassed opinion, even with all the knowledge we have at our finger tips.  
  
We are living in a time of constant surveillance, and personal privacy is at an all time low.   
  
Mental health, though less stigmatized, appears to be more rampant. Cyber bullying and social media addiction are adding to the issue.    
   
Workers, more than ever, are expected to be on-call 24/7, and fluent in technology. Jobs, even at the entry level, are requiring multiple years of experience and multiple degrees. College tuition and books are getting increasingly more expensive.   
  
Minimum wage has not risen with inflation in most countries. Housing is comparably expensive. Fuel prices are very high. We have much more expenses to deal with such as cell phone bills. So it's harder to live day to day.