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My daughter, Haley, encouraged me to think about my world view, to read the book, “Factfulness: The Reasons We're Wrong About the World-and Why Things Are Better Than You Think” by Hans Rosling. Hans divides people in the world into four income levels with most living in the two middle levels, five billion, where basic needs are met. One billion are struggling and would very much like to move up a level whereas the last billion are living quite comfortably. Hans shares some telling pictures of each level in the following four categories: “Water, Transport, Cooking, and Plate of Food.”

As I was reading, I started thinking about how my tiny portion of the world in the United States has changed since entering in 1952, my parents in the 20s, my daughters in the 90s, and my grandchildren recently. Each generation within our family is better. And Hans supports better with factual information related to countries throughout the world despite areas with severe problems.

On our Indiana farm, small compared to the size of farms today, Dad and Mom would work from sunup to sundown. We initially had a cistern for water until digging a well in 1952 and later city water in 1977. By the 50s, we had electricity from REMC instead of oil lanterns and plumbing instead of a chamber pot and an outhouse. It took years to get asphalt on our road that finally took care of the dust.

We had one black and white television in the living room with an exterior antenna that extended beyond the two stories of our old farmhouse which picked up limited stations. I remember listening to the Cincinnati Royals on the radio as well as the Big Red Machine, seldom watching sporting events. We did get several cartoons on our television. Our one landline phone started in 1957, a system shared by several others. If someone was talking to a neighbor, you had to patiently wait until your turn.

Our mailbox was with many at a T-intersection a mile or so away. Mom walked to it and to the farm's creek to wash clothes and hang them by wooden clothespins on a line stretched out between poles to dry. I vividly recall my mom's questioning reaction when buying her an automatic washing machine in the 70s to replace her ringer washer. Dishes were done by hand for many years. A toaster was welcomed but Mom mostly refused to use a microwave even when one was purchased for her. Meat was taken to a country store where locker space could be rented until finally getting a refrigerator.

A small 8N Ford tractor and two-bottom plow, $1,350, was purchased before their first car, a Dodge. The tractor was vital for the farm. I still see the gleam in Dad's eyes when able to purchase farm equipment, once giving up Lucky Strike cigarettes for a truck with the insistence of Mom when looking at our tight budget. Dad and Mom seldom threw anything away knowing they might make good use of it with examples being how Mom made dishtowels and other items from feed sacks while Dad made a seat on the tractor for my two older cousins with a tub connected to the draw bar. Mom rode on the fender while all visited relatives and neighbors within a few miles.

Dad worked at Cummins, farmed, hauled coal which provided heat for many homes, and did custom corn picking with a two-row and front-mounted picker on a 630 John Deere with no cab. I often ended up shoveling corn off wagons into storage buildings for a little extra cash, at times in very cold weather. Extra cash was also earned in the hay and tobacco fields. Mom stayed home taking excellent care of me and my two sisters. A large garden kept fresh food on the table all year; we seldom went out to eat. Our favorite breakfast consisted of fried chicken, homemade biscuits with gravy, and eggs. Toys were not plentiful; I can recall being happy with just a few during Christmas. Vacations were quite the treat but never extended much beyond Kentucky, their home state with relatives there. In retrospect, we had the best toys and vacations by playing and wandering in the fields, forest, and the creek.

I was among the first on both sides of the family to attend college. Dad and Mom very much wanted me to have that opportunity even though they never applied pressure. They each walked to and attended a one-room schoolhouse in Kentucky before their families moved to Indiana. Dad quit school early to help out with his family taking on a variety of jobs. Mom graduated from high school and married my dad at the age of 18, and they happily celebrated many anniversaries together.

Through much research, Hans does an excellent job sharing how things have improved in the United States as well as the world. Toward the end, he states the following: “I do not deny that there are pressing global risks we need to address. I am not an optimist painting the world in pink. I don't get calm by looking away from problems. The five that concern me most are the risks of global pandemic, financial collapse, world war, climate change, and extreme poverty. … Each has the potential to cause mass suffering either directly or indirectly by pausing human progress for many years or decades. If we fail here, nothing else will work. These are mega killers that we must avoid, if at all possible, by acting collaboratively and step-by-step. (There is a sixth candidate for this list. It is the unknown risk. It is the probability that something we have not yet even thought of will cause terrible suffering and devastation. That is a sobering thought. While it is truly pointless worrying about something unknown that we can do nothing about, we must also stay curious and alert to new risks, so that we can respond to them.)”

After attending an excellent Veterans Day program at Hauser, I was once again reminded of what the United States would be like today without the brave men and women who served and who are now serving. I am indeed thankful and appreciative while understanding the importance of never taking for granted where we would be without their sacrifice. We must always realize how fortunate we are to live in this country. When my dad, who served in World War II, was asked what the flag meant to him, he responded with an one word but extremely effective answer: “Freedom!”