Just after the ball drops in Times Square in New York City, it has e a traditional to follow the singing of “Auld Lang Syne” by playing Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World.” No song could better capture the prosperous world that greets 2019, writes Philip Booth, Ph.D., in an essay posted today on the Acton Institute’s Religion& LibertyTransatlanticwebsite.

Booth relates a number of statistics that show the world has improved and shows signs it will continue improving — before noting how the average person in the West is radically misinformed about the underlying issue. He writes:

[O]pinion polls suggest that the view that our world is going to hell in a handcart is widespread. When opinion polls are conducted on almost anything from world poverty rates, literacy rates amongst girls in poor countries to life expectancy in poor countries, answers are given that are miles away from the truth and always in the direction of greater pessimism.

He goes on to analyze why Western Christians seem determined to find crises in the place of progress. His essay gives us a reason to start off 2019 with (informed and cautious, but) renewed optimism.

You can read his full article here.

Gill. This photo has been cropped.CC BY 2.0.)