You've come a long way, baby!

It's a tag line from an advertisement for Virginia Slims. You see, classy women didn't used to smoke. Then Women's Lib came along and women were allowed to do anything they wanted ... including suicide with tobacco products. Yes, a long way.

I wonder sometimes if "progress" is really that. There is a phenomenon known as "the ugly American" in which arrogant Americans travel abroad thinking that their way of life is the best of all and anything else is less. It's not accurate, however, to lay that solely at the feet of Americans. Most people think that their way of life is the best and look at others with disdain. The French, for instance, are legendary for refusing to speak English to visitors because they're so much better than English-speaking folks. And it's not merely the French. All of Europe, it seems, is quite sure that their civilized living is highly superior to other civilizations. So Americans aren't the only arrogant group of people.

When we take a look, however, at the contrasts, I have to wonder how far we've really come. Compare our lifestyles to that of, say, some remote Pacific islanders, a mostly untouched tribe in the Amazon jungle, or a distant group of Africans, and, if you're fair, you'll have to wonder. There is no doubt that our "standard of living" is higher. We certainly have more "stuff". They don't drive SUV's or use dishwashers. They don't even have running water. But what else are they lacking? They typically lack traffic congestion, unemployment, divorce, appreciable crime rates, or abortion. Their children think that it's a good idea to obey their parents and respect their elders. They are not "youth-oriented" societies, but find value in the knowledge and experience of their elders. They rarely have runaway fathers or mothers abandoning their families. Their kids never shout, "Why can't I have a cell phone??!! You don't understand me at all!" They are not contributing to the problem of greenhouse gases nor do they fear what will happen when the oil runs out. They are rarely concerned about "keeping up with the Joneses" and generally unaware that they are "living in poverty". Instead, they are uniquely blessed with a general sense of satisfaction of simply being alive. They are relatively content with what they have and seek only to live out their lives as they are.

No, I wouldn't be able to go to that way of life. I'm too "civilized". But still ... sometimes I wonder exactly how far we've really come, baby? Perhaps I should learn to be content in whatever circumstances I find myself.