This is why we are living in the best time in history

When you scroll through the headlines, it can feel like the world is falling apart.

Interest rates are remaining higher for longer than most would like, housing is unaffordable for many, wars are raging, and climate warnings are everywhere.

And yet… step back and look at the long arc of history, and a different story emerges.

We’re not only living in the best era humanity has ever known — many of us are investing in property at a time of unprecedented opportunity.

Elon Musk summed this up perfectly a few years ago:

“If anyone thinks they’d rather be in a different part of history, they’re probably not a very good student of history.
Life sucked in the old days.
People knew very little, and you were likely to die at a young age from some horrible disease.
You’d probably have no teeth by now.
It would be particularly awful if you were a woman.”

Like him or hate him, I agree with him that despite all the challenges we face, there is a strong case to be made that we are living in the best time in human history.

Yet many people continue to complain, and that's not surprising, considering the media constantly tells us how difficult life is.

The truth is that overall, things have never been better, so I’d like to prove that we are indeed living in the best time in history.

1. Technology is accelerating like never before

We’ve entered an era of exponential change.

• Artificial Intelligence & automation: transforming industries, from law to health to property valuations. I know many people are concerned about the rapid development of AI. However, AI has been around for a long time - just think of Siri or Alexa.
• Connectivity: over 5.3 billion people online worldwide. In Australia, over 90% of homes are connected to the internet.
• Clean energy: renewables are now cheaper than fossil fuels, and Australia is positioning itself as a renewable energy superpower.
• Biotech & health tech: breakthroughs in gene editing and diagnostics are changing what it means to age and heal.

For investors, these advances mean faster insights, more data, and tools to make better property decisions.

2. We’re healthier and living longer lives

Global life expectancy has doubled in the last century.

In Australia, the life expectancy has jumped from just 55 years in 1900 to around 84 years today.

One of the primary factors behind this increase in life expectancy around the world is the development of new treatments and vaccines that have successfully eradicated or reduced the impact of various life-threatening diseases.

Furthermore, public health initiatives, better nutrition, and an increased emphasis on preventive care have played a crucial role in helping people live longer and healthier lives.

As a result of these collective efforts, we are witnessing an era in which people are not only living longer but enjoying a better quality of life well into their later years.

We don’t just live longer — we live healthier, with more years of an active lifestyle.

3. Huge strides in poverty reduction

In 1990, almost 2 billion people lived in extreme poverty.

Today, fewer than 700 million do,  even though the world population has grown by billions.

Closer to home, Australia ranks among the world’s wealthiest nations, with a median household net worth of above $1 million — most of it in property.

That Sydney terrace bought for $200,000 in the 1980s? It could easily fetch over $2 million today.

4. Education and knowledge everywhere

Access to education and literacy rates have both increased dramatically, empowering individuals and communities.

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Literacy rates have climbed above 85% globally. Online platforms give billions of people access to education that was once reserved for the elite.

For investors, this means unprecedented access to property strategies, financial education, and investment communities — often for free or at a low cost.

5. Gender equality and social progress

Today, women outnumber men at Australian universities, and diversity in leadership and business is on the rise.

Social and legal reforms have given more people a fair chance to participate in wealth creation.

6. Safer societies

Wars still rage, and crime still exists. But compared to the past, we’re far safer.

Homicide rates have trended downward for decades, and the risk of global war has fallen since the 20th century.

7. More connected than ever

It’s never been easier to network, connect, or make contact with anyone in the world.

Gone are the days of slowly building your network one person at a time, attending numerous boring after-work networking events.

Now thanks to Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media sites, it only takes a few seconds to connect with anyone anywhere in the world, meaning you can grow your network thousands of times faster and easier than ever before.

Each online connection can then easily lead to a face-to-face meeting, or even better, to a new friendship or business relationship.

It’s hard to imagine a world without Facebook, yet social media only really started to become a thing about 16 years ago, around 2007. boring after-work networking events.

 8. Goods and services are cheaper in real terms

Despite inflation, many essentials have never been cheaper relative to income:

- Computing power that once cost millions now fits in your pocket.
- Streaming services replace entire libraries and cinemas.
- Solar cuts household energy bills.

And it seems lots of things are getting cheaper year by year:- Cars, clothing, flights, internet, laptops, tablets and smartphones, phone plans, TVs, music, photography, toys

However, one thing that hasn't become cheaper is Australian residential real estate, which has grown faster than inflation and the cost of living, creating affordability pressures for some but significant welfare.

9. And a lot of things are free

• Education - education used to be limited to the rich and wealthy, but not anymore. Thanks to the Internet, you now have access to the world's greatest libraries, philosophers, scientists, and teachers, all available to you for free. In fact, you now have access to more information than anyone else in history on any subject imaginable. No need to go to the library - you can simply search for the answer to any question on Google or watch 10s of thousands of hours of free educational videos on YouTube.

• Entertainment  - YouTube, movies, music, TV shows, video games, sport. There are over billions videos on YouTube, and if nothing else was ever added it would take you more than 100,000 years just to watch what's currently there.

• Books
• Cloud storage
• Email, Instant messaging
• Entertainment, Games
• Maps and GPS
• News

• Phone calls (even international)

10. Options

Never before in all of history have we had more options than we do now – we are spoiled for choice:

• Business options - Thanks to the internet it’s never been cheaper, easier, or quicker to start a business than it is now. You don’t need a large marketing budget either, you can market and promote your products for free to a worldwide audience using online social media channels: Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube etc. You don’t even need to quit your job, you can start your own business part-time after hours.
• Career options
• Entertainment options
• Food options
• Invesment options
• Movie/Music/TV options
• Payment options
• Shopping options
• Travel options – it’s never been easier to travel and see the world.

11. Human Rights and Social Progress

Racism, sexism, homophobia, and similar issues are definitely becoming less common, and as the world awakens and people become more educated and less ignorant, fewer are judging others based on things like skin colour, gender, height, or sexuality.

This greater awareness and activism have led to improvements in human rights and social progress:

• LGBTQ+ Rights: The rights of LGBTQ+ individuals have significantly advanced in recent years, with more countries legalizing same-sex marriage, adopting anti-discrimination laws, and promoting social acceptance.
• Racial Equality: Although racial inequality persists, progress has been made in addressing systemic racism through legislation, education, and social activism.
• Disability Rights: Laws and policies promoting the rights of persons with disabilities have increased globally, leading to improved accessibility, inclusion, and quality of life.

12. Everything is more convenient

Sure, there are lots of things that still annoy us and are way harder than they need to be, but overall, things have never been easier or more convenient than they are right now:

• You can buy anything you like without needing to leave your home.
• You can get lunch, dinner, or groceries delivered right to your front door.
• You have infinite entertainment and information right there on your phone 24/7.
• You can get an Uber to pick you up right from your door and take you anywhere you want to go.

A final word

While challenges remain, it's important to recognise the remarkable progress we have made as a global society.

And in Australia, one of the most stable democracies with some of the world’s strongest housing markets, the opportunities are extraordinary.
However, it’s also important to realise that even though we’re living in the greatest time in all of human history, with all of the opportunities and resources in the world, it’s not time, opportunities or resources that make you successful, it’s you.

So ask yourself: knowing you live in the best time in history, how will you use that advantage?