Is Everything in the World Getting Worse and Worse? – Ralph Woodrow
There are some who tell us in all seriousness that “everything in the world is getting worse and worse!” It seems popular, even in some pulpits, to talk about how bad everything is getting—“and getting worse all the time!” But the evidence is overwhelming that MANY things are better than they have ever been, especially in countries that enjoy the blessings of civilization.
This is not to say there is not a lot of evil in the world. Many things are not as they should be. Nevertheless, progress has been made in the right direction. In harmony with Philippians 4:8, “… think on things of good report”—let’s consider some of the GOOD things God has blessed us with and for which we should be thankful.
Advances in Travel
In 1917, the main highway through Indio, California had been paved, but there was no white line down the center. While driving her Model-T Ford on this highway, June McCarroll (a female medical doctor) was run off the road by an approaching truck. Because of this near-fatal accident, Dr. McCarroll came up with the idea of a white line in the center of the road.
Unable to get much interest from officials and others about her idea, she hand-painted a white stripe down that stretch of highway. A monument near the intersection of Indio Blvd. and Fargo St. in Indio honors McCarroll as the inventor of the white line, which is now used on highways worldwide.
In October 1819, the first Christian missionaries to Hawaii left Boston for the 18,000-mile voyage around the tip of South America (there was no Panama Canal at that time). After five months in cramped quarters, with bouts of seasickness and other difficulties on board the ship, the Hawaiian Islands finally came into view. Today, a non-stop flight from Boston to Hawaii takes just over 11 hours! Flying west (with the sun), a flight leaving Boston at 8:00 AM arrives in Hawaii by early afternoon, at 1:10 PM!
My Aunt Thelma did not live far from the Golden Gate Bridge when it was completed in 1937. Years later, as a boy, I recall her talking in glowing terms about this bridge—how it is supported by cables and can even sway in the wind. I had never heard of a bridge like that! The many wires from which the supporting cables are made, if separated into one continuous length, could wrap around the earth over three times! Each day, people in about 112,000 vehicles cross the bridge. I don’t suppose any of them think things were better when the bridge was not there!
My grandparents migrated from Missouri to California, arriving in Riverside in 1919 with six children. Their oldest son, Edward (from whom I have my middle name), was the only one who knew how to drive a car. Long stretches of the road (later known as “Route 66”) were unpaved. It was the first long distance highway in the United States to be entirely paved, but that was not until 1938.
The contrast between a car similar to the Buick in which they traveled, with what would be considered an average car today, is striking! Today’s cars are thousands of inventions rolled into one. Truly a work of art.
Would anyone want to go back to using a crank to start a car? Or what about rolling down the window, extending the hand and arm to signal a turn? One wonders why it took so long for blinkers to come into existence. The same can be said about seat belts!
Most people who drive enjoy driving. This is reflected in advertising jingles from years past: “What a thrill to take the wheel of a smart new Oldsmobile!” or “See the USA in your Chevrolet!”
For quite a few years, some relatives of mine owned a 1941 Packard automobile which they bought new. It was a luxury 4-door sedan, olive green in color, and had a feature that seemed like a novelty at the time—a heater! Today heating and air conditioning have become standard in cars.
Advances in Technology
I remember the first time I saw a television set. It had been purchased by some neighbors. It had a 7-inch, black and white screen, in a large cabinet. It was overwhelming to me as a boy—to be in Riverside and to not only hear, but to be able to see someone in Los Angeles, sixty miles away. But it was happening—somehow an invisible signal was coming through the air and picked up by an antenna on the roof! Today, would anyone want to go back to a small screen black and white television? Would we not prefer a large flat-screen with full color?
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