Bill Gates shows his prophetic talent: Those born in the next 20 years will be better than ever

Billionaire Microsoft co-founder and famous philanthropist said he remains “very optimistic” about the future of humanity on earth. Even with the challenges current and future generations will face, Gates says anyone born in the next few decades will be better off than those born any time ago. that in history.

“I am still very optimistic that it will be better if someone is born in the next 20 years, 40 years, and 60 years from now than at any time in the past,” Gates said in an interview at the Lowy Institute. Australia.

However, not everything is optimistic. The famous billionaire noted that the world has a lot of trends that fail, such as a disproportionate global response to the Covid-19 pandemic, governments falling short of targets to tackle climate change. post-war or growing political polarization in the United States and other economies.

A Gallup poll in October found that only 42 percent of Americans believe today’s youth will have a “better standard of living” than their parents. This is 18 percentage points lower than in 2019 and is the lowest level of optimism in three decades (based on similar polls conducted).

Bill Gates thinks the pessimists miss the big picture. “In my view, it’s easier to take a negative view of this trend than it is to be really fair,” Gates said.

He points to advances in public health, noting that the global under-five mortality rate has halved over the past two decades.

“There is still an enormous amount of work to be done to improve the overall human condition. We will cure obesity and cancer and eliminate polio,” Gates said.

He also praised the potential of cheap and efficient green energy technologies in recent years. In addition, technological advances, which allow to better serve healthcare and education workers around the world, were also praised by him.

It is from those achievements that Bill Gates emphasizes that things are still getting better.

“Look out wide and ask yourself: where were we 300 years ago,” Gates said, noting that the average human lifespan has greatly improved over the past three centuries. In 1700, the average person died before turning 40. Today, the average life expectancy in the US is 76.1.

“Whether you are a king or a poor man, the infant mortality rate is very high and the literacy level is extremely low. So, looking at the current achievements, it can be said that it is an extraordinary story,” emphasized Bill Gates.

What Bill Gates said echoes the same sentiment expressed by billionaire Charlie Munger last year, who said that people are just complaining but their lives are better than ever. “Everybody is living five times better than before,” Munger said.

Reference: CNBC