Hello community,
I think we are living in one of the best eras… but at the same time, it does not always feel like it, especially as a Nigerian.
Like, when you look at things on the surface , you see technology, access to information, opportunities online you will say yes, that this is probably the best time to be alive, I mean, from your phone alone, you can learn a skill, make money, connect with people across the world, even build a whole career without leaving your room, that is something people 50 or 100 years ago couldn’t even imagine could happen
But then again, being a 20 some thing Nigerian in this same era, you will understand that best era depends on where you are standing.
Because how can we say it is the best era when things are this hard? Cost of living is high, fuel prices keep rising, electricity is not stable, and everything just feels like you are constantly trying to survive instead of actually living, sometimes you wake up with plans, motivation, and big dreams, but reality will just remind you that omooo.... you are in Nigeria.
So yes, it is a mix of advantage and struggle.
If I think about the time of our ancestors I believe life was pretty simple then, people grew their food and ate what they grew,they lived within their means, Our ancestors did not have a lot of pressure to compare themselves to others because there was no social media, Social media can show you how someone your age is doing well , and At the same time life expectancy was very low , the healthcare they had was not very good, they did not have opportunities, most opportunities were not available in their area.
Then if we look at what life was like around 100 years during colonial times I don't think I would want to have been born then either,there were a lot of restrictions then than now, People did not have a lot of freedom. There was a lot of inequality, I would not want to trade my life now for a life back then, So I am actually grateful to be living in this era, i am grateful to be living in this time with all the opportunities that our era has to offer, Our era has a lot of things, like better healthcare and more opportunities,etc.
Because despite everything, this is still a time where you can break out of your environment if you really push, you can learn online, start something small, grow it, and change your story, that kind of possibility alone makes this era special.
But let me not lie, sometimes I wish things were just so much easier right now
Not necessarily a different era, but a better version of this same era, one where the system actually works, one where hard work truly pays without unnecessary stress, because right now, it feels like you have to work twice as hard just to get basic comfort.
Another thing about this era is the mental pressure that's growing, there is too much information, too many expectations, too many voices telling you who to be and what success should look like, back then, people did not have that kind of noise in their heads, now, even when you are doing okay, you might still feel like you’re behind.
So are we living in the best era?
I would say yes… but with alot of conditions.
It is the best in terms of possibilities, exposure, and access, but it is also one of the most mentally demanding and, in places like Nigeria, physically stressful eras to live in.
Am I happy to be born now?
Yes, I am.
Not because everything is perfect, but because there is potential, there is room to grow, to try, to fail, and still try again, and honestly, that hope that things can still get better is what makes this era worth it for me.
At the end of the day, every era has its own problems, It is just that this one is ours to figure out.