The Oil Drum | Drumbeat: May 12, 2012

The Oil Drum | Drumbeat: May 12, 2012: People overlook or forget how unique the post-WW2 world is.

Before 1945, horrendously bad things used happen on a regular basis in the developed world, such as epidemic disease or war.

The post-WW2 world has enjoyed a period of peace and prosperity unprecendented in world history due to the confluence of:

1. modern medicine (such as antibiotics and vaccines)
2. technology (such as the transistor)
3. extensive exploitation of fossil fuels (especially Oil)
4. nuclear weapons (which have rendered unthinkable mass conflict such as WW1 or WW2)

So, in a way, it's understandable for the average person to have a complacent attitude about life since one of the rules people naturally operate on is the future will be like the past.