This morning, I read a phrase I’ve seen a million times: The world is changing faster than ever.

This is a very common phrase. It’s one of those phrases people throw around like it would be insane to argue against it.

However, arguing against it is exactly what I am going to do.

In 1939, a world war started, and 6 years later, it was over.

In 1861 in the US, an entire country almost tore itself apart, and 4 years later it was over.

In the 1840s, the telegraph was invented, and the world was never the same again.

Around 1350, almost half of the population in Europe died from a strange disease no one understood, and 7 years later, it was over.

The world is not changing faster than it has in the past. Epoch-defining events are not coming faster than they have in the past. It’s just that our vision of them is myopic and self-centered. We are, after all, humans, and what do humans do, other than think they are special.

My grandfather, who fought in that world war, probably thought the world was changing faster than it had before.

Don’t believe your own press. It is highly likely that the things it, and you, are telling you are wrong.