What is wrong with Western Society?

The average lifespan has almost doubled over the last 100 years. Material prosperity is more widely experienced now than ever before. A score of diseases that were once considered scourges are now little more than curiosities preserved in medical textbooks. Average working hours have been generally falling - making more leisure time available than ever. The availability and affordability of travel and communications have never been better. We have more time to spend with family and friends, more places to go and ever more things to do.

And yet something feels as if it is not right - indeed, increasing 'not right'. There is a feeling almost as if society itself is progressing backwards. An apparent majority of people seem think that something is wrong with the very character or structure of our society itself - though public opinion polls rarely ask such a serious or direct question, so this point can't actually be 'proven'.

So why does it seem as if people are becoming increasingly unhappy amidst conditions of material splendour?

Or is this perhaps just a fallacy of the observer, unaware of the human condition as it has always been?

Any thoughts or comments?

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[I]Remember what the dormouse said, 'feed your head'. [/I]

I think a great portion of the population has always been unhappy and always will be. That is just part of being humans.

No doubt it has to do with the greedy nature of mankind. Our society has become consumed with wanting more, and so we seek more and more and always have an empty feeling. The more and more we try to take God out of the public and replace him with idols such as money and matieral wealth, the worse our greed will become, and the more empty we will feel. That's just my $.02 though.

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I'm back.:D

In some ways I agree with bigdog. It' s a social hierarchy thing. The average guy might have more material goods than he had 100 years ago, but the rich have a WHOLE LOT more -- and this difference is thrust into his face every day on TV and in the movies. That makes him angry and frustrated; he feels like he's a loser no matter how hard he works or how much he makes: It's never enough.

Maybe it is just me but I see as much religion playing a role in society as I ever have. Probably more actually.

I read a study linking happiness to one's wealth relative to one's neighbor's wealth.

It doesn't matter how much we have, if we do not have more than the average Joe we are not happy.

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It does not take great wisdom to recognize that there is good and evil--only to determine which is which.

You might be mistaking the external trappings of religion with the internal workings of a healthy and productive spirit filled life.

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It does not take great wisdom to recognize that there is good and evil--only to determine which is which.

Okay, well it doesn't seem to me that less people have a relationship with their god.

JSMILL:
Yes, that's what I was getting at; you said it better...

If this is true, than I'd suspect that television is to blame for this negativity then - since it is television that spreads knowledge of one's 'neighbors' for comparison in an ever wider net.

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[I]Remember what the dormouse said, 'feed your head'. [/I]