2000 vs 2025 Are We Better Off ?

It's hard to believe that nearly twenty five years have passed and the changes we've witnessed, both technologically and socially been nothing short of remarkable. Join me as we delve into the world of two thousand versus twenty twenty five and explore whether these shifts have truly made our lives better this time on Whye's Thoughts. The following is a Terry Weiss production. It's time for a virtual campfire sit down with Terry Weiss. Will come to Weiss's Thoughts. Hey, everybody, welcome back to the program. Welcome to Weis's Thoughts. I am Terry Weiss, and I am so glad you've decided to spend some of your valuable time with me today. I want you to know that I truly appreciate each and every one of you, and especially those of you who reach out to me. You can do that at mail at Weis's thoughts dot com or Terry at Weiss's thoughts dot Com. Is the email address, just make sure you spell the name right WYC. And also, if you want to listen to each and every episode of this podcast, it can be done just by looking for Weis's Thoughts dot com or going to our parent organization from whence the program cometh Purplepitt Studios dot com. So there, and if you want to find me on exits at Terry Weiss and the video channel on YouTube is of course Weiss's thoughts that simple, right, It's that simple and it's that easy. So we got lots to get to on the program today, lots I want to talk to you about. But first it's that time again. Yes, it is time for the wordsmith word of the episode. Ah, Yes, time to impress our friends and your friends and my friends and everybody's friends and family and coworkers with how wonderful and big our vocabulary is. And what is this week's wordsmith word of the episode? Oh, computer generated AI A voice cops? Wait, what was that? Cops? Cops, not cops like on TV or you encounter in the world. Coo ps cops And what it is? It's a noun and it means a small group of trees. Well, let's let's hear it in some example sentences, shall we. After our strenuous bike ride, I needed to rest by a cops for a few minutes. All right? How about another one? The wedding ceremony was held in front of the Birch Cops in the bride's family home backyard. All right, one last episode, episode, one last example. The cops in the town plaza was strung with twinkle lights and other decorations that were swapped out for each holiday. Well, there you go. There is this week's wordsmith word of the episode and a noun that means a small group of trees. Now you are in the know, and you can impress your friends with your big fat brain and they can say, wow, you are super duper smart man. And that's all brought to you by the Wife's Thoughts Podcast. Hope you enjoyed it. So let's let's get into the meat and the potatoes of the podcast. Okay, we're talking. We're taking a bit of a nostalogic journey today here looking back and how society has transformed over the last quarter century. Can you believe a quarter century has already gone by? Almost twenty five years have past. It's amazing and let's let's we're going to talk about it. Okay, you know, let's kick things off with technology. Think back just for a moment to the year two thousand. The internet was still relatively new for so many of us. Smartphones were a thing of science fiction for most of us as well. I mean, they were just coming to fruition, and social media as we know it didn't exist. Our primary means of communications were landline phones. Think about that. Landline phones just a mere quarter century ago, and if you wanted to listen to music on the go, you were probably carrying a portable CD player or a walkman. Now you fast forward to today, twenty twenty five, and the landscape is almost unrecognizable, isn't it. I mean, it's a totally different world, and the ambiquity of high speed internet is revolutionized nearly every aspect of our lives, from how we work and learn, how we socialize and entertain ourselves. I mean, let's think about it. I mean, you can watch almost anything, anytime, anywhere, on any number of devices. Smartphones have become indispensable. I mean, come on, think about it. How many times have you gone and be honest with me, be honest, how many times have you gone back into the house or been down the road and said, oh shit, I forgot my phone and driven back home or gone back into the house to get it. I have many, but smartphones have become basically indispensable, putting the power of a computer, a camera, and a global communications device in the palm of our hands. I want you to consider something for just a second. In two thousand, less than half of American households less than half in the year two thousand had broadband internet access, and today that numbers over ninety percent. And globally, internet access has exploded from under seven percent of the population back in the year two thousand to over half of the world's population. Half of the over seven billion people on this planet, half have access to the Internet today. Think about that. In just twenty five years, the social media platforms have connected billions of people worldwide, creating new avenues for communication and community building, and even social and political movements. But you know something, all these platforms have their downsides. Their impact on global connectivity is undeniable. I mean, let's face it, we can know anything anywhere in the world in a nanosecond. Think about how easy it is today to connect with friends and family across the globe, sharing photos and videos virtually instantly. This is something, my friends, that was simply not possible for most people twenty five years ago. I mean Technological advances haven't stopped at communication either. We've seen incredible progress in areas like artificial intelligence, which is the big thing right now, and it's now integrated into everything from our virtual assistance to medical diagnostics. Renewable energy technologies have advanced significantly, which offers us hope for a more sustainable future. Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly common and reducing our reliance in fossil fuels. Even something as simple as paying for goods has changed dramatically with the rise of contactless payments and digital wallets. How many of you out there use at digital wallet? Apple Pay, Google Pay? Your credit card is in your phone, You're just tapped to pay. You know, It's amazing, isn't it just amazing to think? Just think about it? In twenty five years, two and a half decades, the world is virtually unrecognizable from what it was in the year two thousand. Now, let's think about social changes for a bit that have occurred over the past twenty five years. These are perhaps more nuanced, but they're equally as significant. One of the most notable shifts has been in social attitudes towards diversity, inclusion and issues such as LGBTQ rights. They've gained significant strides and accomplished acceptance in many parts of the world. I mean same sex marriage, for instance, which was contentious back in the year two thousand. That was a contentious issue back in two thousand, it really was, is now legal in numerous countries and enjoys the majority of support in many places, including the US. I remember when gay and lesbian people could not get married, couldn't absolutely not get married. It was outlawed many places. We've also seen increased awareness and discussions around mental health. This is a real big area that's improved with the stigma. You know, it still exists to some degree, but there's a greater understanding of how mental health conditions affect people and a push for more accessible resources and support. It's come a long way. It still has a long way to go, but you know PTSD anxiety, you know OCD and bipolar disorder, postpartum depression, depression in general, the conversations happening today around well being and mental health are far more open than they were just to even a generation ago. Also, let's talk about this, The way we work has evolved. The rise of the gig economy facilitated by technological platforms. It's created more flexible work arrangements for some How many people are working from home, I mean it has raised some questions though about job security and benefits. But the COVID nineteen pandemic back in twenty twenty taught us a lot of lessons and it further accelerated the trend towards remote work, demonstrating the potential for more more distributed work for us. Is what I'm trying to say. I mean, you've got hybrid work. You got people that totally work from home. Now, I mean, how many people you must know at least at least you've got If you've got twenty friends, you at least have two or three that work exclusively all full time from home. I mean, back as recently as twenty nineteen, it was estimated that around thirty six percent of the United States workers were engaged in some form of gig work work, and that was a significant increase over previous years. Cultures have opened up around the world with different perspectives, but it also has times. At times it's led us to political tensions. You know, unregulated regulation in many countries have caused a lot of social economic and political problems. It is, but by allowing legal immigration and immigration in general, has allowed a lot of great opportunities. Also, there's been a notable shift in how people access and consume information, and particularly news. Social media has become a significant source of news for many bypassing traditional media outlets. This is both provided to be a good and positive influence and also a detrimental in some places and created many challenges to battling misinformation and the spread of fake news on all sides, no matter what social political belief you have. So the big question here remains are we better off now than we were twenty five years ago. It's a complex question with no real easy answer. Is progress in one area may come with new challenges and another I mean technologically, the advancements have undoubtedly brought immense convenience and connectivity and many opportunities, from life saving medical technologies to instant access to information. The benefits they're plain and they're clear. However, these advancements also bring concerns about privacy, cybersecurity, and the potential for increased social isolation. Despite being more connected than ever before digitally, and the potential for increased social isolation despite being more connected digitally is a big thing, is a big thing socially. The increased awareness and acceptance of diversity and mental health issues have significantly made steps forward. However, these issues like economic inequality still persist. They do, and the rapid pace of social and technological change can create anxieties and let's face it, at times divisions among many of us. Ultimately, whether society is better is a matter of perspective and depends on the criteria we use to judge it. What is undeniable, though, is the profound transformation that has occurred, and as we look ahead, it's crucial. It's very crucial for us to learn learn lessons from the past twenty five years, to harness the power of technology for good and continue to strive for a more equitable, sustainable society. So I hope I've given you some things to think on on this episode of Why's Thoughts Today, And you know, it's a journey, It really is a journey. We've come so far in twenty five years. I was just pondering this and I said, you know what, We've got to talk about it today on the podcast. We have to because it's a quarter century and so much has changed I've in my lifetime, and I know some that lived before me, like my parents. You know, talk about the changes we went through back in the sixties and the seventies and the eighties with the invention. You know, an expansion of television and cable, and you know the concord flights and breaking the sound barrier and you know all those things, the telephone, the answering machine that did the VCR, you know the CD. You know, a technology and social things that have changed. I know now, I know what they feel like, what it felt like for my parents. However, in my humble opinion, I think the past twenty five years, we have probably advanced one hundred years in the last twenty five years. Some say for the good, some people say not so good. Like anything in life, whether it's a thought, an opinion, a technology, it's only as good and beneficial as the people who choose to use it and how they choose to use it. Hey, thanks for listening to the program today. I truly appreciate each and every one of you out there, and remember, to see a change in the world, you have to be the change in the world you want to see. It all starts with you. The person looking back at you in the mirror every morning. Remember to be kind to yourself, be kind to others. If you want to tweet at me on Twitter, it's at Terry Weiss. Stop by the website Weis's thoughts dot com just to make sure you spell my name right. Wysee Wis's thoughts dot com, and hey, leave us a positive rating and review on your favorite podcast provider. Won't you tell your friends, tell your family, tell your pets about wife's thoughts. And I look forward to gathering yet again around the virtual campfire with you real soon. Take care,