Reasons why 21st century won't be that bad?

[Alardem]

As a side note, if you want to stay sane where I'm from, one learns to ignore the beggars everywhere. Firstly because many of them are exploited by gangs which take money from them, and secondly because there's just too many.

Unfortunately I know the feeling.

How so?

Well I was an exchange student in Paraguay for 6 months, at first it was quite shocking to see the extreme amount of poverty, people wandering the streets without food or water, selling junk and cleaning windshields or just begging. Especially for me since there is virtually no poverty in Iceland, at least very little visible poverty (I have only once seen a homeless man here - a very confusing experience as I didn't know he was asking me for money until he flat out said so). After a while I learned to tune it out and just ignore it.

I'm from Bangkok, a classic example of urban sprawl and inequality. That's what you get used to if you live in big cities anywhere. Class inequity's a palpable force, and it gets used by the elites to trick the disempowered into getting their rich man into power or keeping him there.

Ain't too different from the past, and I unfortunately do not think this will change in the future. Nevertheless, technology and globalization will continue to mix together and I believe that's for the better as it improves awareness of the world beyond our personal spheres. A hundred years ago, even color television is unthinkable. Now tiny villages have Wi-Fi.