Factfully, things are better than we think...

​We often hear and read a lot about developed and developing nations or advanced or emerging world.  For a long time, we have been labeling part of the world as "Developing" and another as "Developed."  But we actually shouldn't.  

Hans Rosling called this type of labels as "outdated" and frankly "absurd."    Think about it, any categorization that pieces together China and Tanzania or Nigeria is too general to be helpful or practically insightful.  So we have continued to use "developed" and "developing" in our conversation because there wasn't a more specific, easily acceptable or understandable alternative - until now.    

I recently read Hans’ new book Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World—and Why Things Are Better Than You Think. In it, he provides a new framework for how to think about and analyze the world. Hans proposes four categories based on income level:

Level I:  One billion people live on level 1. This is what we think of as extreme poverty. If you’re on level 1, you survive on less than $2 a day and get around by walking barefoot. Your food is cooked over an open fire, and you spend most of your day traveling to fetch water. At night, you and your children sleep on a dirt floor.
Level II:  Three billion people live on level 2, between $2 and $8 a day. Level 2 means that you can buy shoes and maybe a bike, so it doesn’t take so long to get water. Your kids go to school instead of working all day. Dinner is made over a gas stove, and your family sleeps on mattresses instead of the floor.
Level III:  Two billion people live on level 3, between $8 and $32 a day. You have running water and a fridge in your home. You can also afford a motorbike to make getting around easier. Some of your kids start (and even finish) high school.
Level IV:  One billion people live on level 4. If you spend more than $32 a day, you’re on level 4. You have at least a high school education and can probably afford to buy a car and take a vacation once in a while.

So why does this even matter?  It's really hard to pick up on advancement if one is to divide the world into rich or prosperous countries and poor or impoverished countries.  When those are the only two choices,  we are more likely to think anyone who doesn't have a particular condition of life is "poor."  

Hans also and interestingly compares this instinct to standing on top of a tower and looking down at a city.  All of the other building will look short to us whether they're ten stories or sixty stories high.  It is very much the same with income.  Life is significantly better for those on level II than level I., But it's difficult to understand that from level IV except you know to look for it.  

Keep in mind that the four levels are just one of many truly insightful parts in Factfulness that will help us better appreciate the world.  Hans Roslin is no longer with us, but he worked on Factfulness until his very last days, even bringing many chapters with him in the ambulance to the hospital,  ultimately his son and daughter-in-law helped to finish it after he passed on February 7th, 2017.  

Most of the book is genuinely dedicated to ten instincts that keep us from seeing the world "Factfully."  These range from the fear - we pay more attention to scary things to the size -  standalone numbers often look more impressive than they really are, to the gap -  most of us fall between two extremes.  With each sense, Hans offers us practical advice about how to overcome our natural biases and inclinations.  

For example, he argued that these instincts make it very difficult to put events in perspective.  Just imagine news coverage about a natural disaster - let's say, a tornado that kills 15 people in a small city or town.  If you look at only the headlines, you'll view the event as an unbearable tragedy, which it is.  But if you put it in the context of history, you'll also know that tornadoes today are a lot less deadly than they used to be,   thanks to advanced signal systems that warn us.  That's no comfort to the loved ones of those who died, but it matters a great deal to everyone who survived the tornado.  

I think what Hans is attempting to tell us is that the world can be both bad and better.   But I love how Hans articulates it beautifully in Factfullness.  

Another remarkable point about Factfulness - and about Has himself - is that he refuses to judge anyone for their misconceptions and faults.  Most of us would beat people up for their ignorance,  I know I would, but Hans doesn't.  He doesn't even go after the media.  Instead, he tells us about his experience.  He explains that these instincts make us human and that overcoming them is really not that easy. 

When you get a chance, be sure to watch some of his TED talks.  He was extremely charming, very patient, and never judgemental.  He spent his life not only learning how global health was progressing but sharing what he learned in an engaging, exciting and transparent way with a wide range of people.  

Factfulness is a fantastic book, and I hope you read it and enjoy it.