Hello!
I’m sorry for the late message this week, but at least this way I get to message you on July 4th.
Unquestionably, I’m thinking a lot about America these days. I’m thinking about the shape of our mythologies, our arguments, and our future. This is all pretty difficult to know.
One thing it led me toward, however, was a question that I certainly cannot answer but think is very interesting to ask:
“Would the average American in 1776 think we had done a good job?”
I’m worried that they wouldn’t, but not for the reasons you might think. I’m worried that they would look at things that I see as miraculous, like the increase in rights for women and non-white people and people who are not upper class, and they would see that as some kind of failure of the social order.
I hope some of them would look at our society and see the progress, but I think most of them would not.
Though, honestly, I guess I wouldn’t be sad to discover that the founders of this country didn’t really live up to their own ideals, because I already knew that. Perhaps this should make me happy… that we have been able to make so much progress inside the frames those people built that we have moved far beyond their sensibilities.
I hope I would be similarly unnerved by the next 250 years of progress.
Hank
ALSO NOTE!! If you are in the Los Angeles area, we are putting on a fun, weird event featuring me, Mark Rober, and Simone Giertz, and a bunch of other amazing folks to give short talks on the topic of hope. It’s a fundraiser for Complexly, and you can find out more here.
You can always email us at [email protected]
This Week in Stuff
Ze Frank taught us about black-footed ferrets and the plague in a new True Facts. (YouTube)
You can get World Cup updates made of LEGOs. (Instagram)
Montana debuted a new license plate design to raise money for wildlife crossings. (goodgoodgood.co)
Thanks to OrcaLab, you can watch or listen to livestreams of orcas near British Columbia. (orcalab.org)
Someone built a glowing, voice-opening door based on the Doors of Durin from The Lord of the Rings. (YouTube)
Please send us stuff you think we should feature to [email protected]
Tobacco use in India has halved this century
Hannah Ritchie
At the turn of the millennium, one in five adults in India smoked tobacco, and almost half of all adults were using any form of tobacco, including products that are chewed or sniffed.
But over the past two decades, rates of both have roughly halved. You can see this in the chart.
Some countries have seen a decline in smoking among men, but a rise among women. This is not the case in India: tobacco use has fallen substantially for both sexes.
This decline has huge implications. Each year, smoking causes almost one million Indians to die earlier than they otherwise would. Since smoking-related diseases can take decades to develop, this recent decline in smoking rates will result in fewer deaths in the future.
Smokeless tobacco tends to have lower health risks because people are not inhaling smoke. But it still increases the risk of oral, throat, and esophageal cancers, gum disease, and other conditions.
Our World in Data is a UK-based non-profit organization that publishes research and data to make progress against the world’s largest problems. You can find more of their data insights here. Want to receive even more Data Insights like this from Our World in Data directly in your inbox every few days? Sign up for their newsletter!
Some Games to Play!
Wordloop (by Fox Point Games)
4×3 (by Hank Green)
Spellcheck (by Answer in Progress)
This Gubbins postcard was made by Sarah. Send yours to [email protected]
If you post your results on social media, we’d love it if you post a link for folks to subscribe to “We’re Here” (https://werehere.beehiiv.com/subscribe)
Relationships That Carry Us
Last week, John wrote about his parents’ 50th wedding anniversary and the importance of relationships that carry us through our lives. Thank you to everyone who shared a little about their important relationships with us!
My mom, my best friend, and my husband. That order changes every day, but I couldn't do it without them. I swear that my mom is the smartest person in the world & can always tell me what I need to do; my best friend can empathize with me like nobody else; my husband is my rock & the better half of me. These are the people I can always count on to have my back and get me through rough times. I'll never be able to thank them enough, but I can damn well try.
Right now the best thing in my life is my friend Pam. She's a 76 year old lady I met at the local community theatre earlier this year (we were in the musical together). She was the first person to notice that I wasn't my usual cheerful, jokey, energetic self on the day that my fiancée and I broke up. She's made it her life's mission to keep me close and keep me alive and laughing. We share poetry with each other (She's published two poetry books!), we did one of her own plays at a local theatre festival, and I went to her first standup show at the beginning of the summer! She's filthy-funny, wickedly observant, and one of my fastest, closest friends. I'd be in a much darker place if not for her.
I've had the same best friend for 32 years. We met in kindergarten when I was 5 and she was 4. We haven't lived in the same location since high school but when we get together it's like no time has passed and we're right back to being goofy little girls. She's my rock, my life wife, and I feel so lucky every day that I have such an awesome best friend. We've been through so much together and I just love that our history goes back so far. I couldn't do life without her and her neverending support.
My stepdad has been a huge support for me my whole life. He's been around for as long as I can remember, and I couldn't be more proud to call him my dad. He taught me what it means to be kind, the value of doing good for it's own sake, and how to help each other through hard times. He's also an educator in his field focused on teaching others how to practice safely around the world. Recently he was diagnosed with end stage kidney failure and is about to start dialysis. I can't imagine where my life would be without him, so I hope to be able to repay him and donate my kidney when the time comes
Right now, my little college "family" of me and my two roommates. For all of us this is our first year studying in this country. We are all different ages, from different continents, different genders, with very different life experiences. Between us we've taken care of sick family, fled war zones, and worked everywhere from culinary arts to international relations to wildfire. Despite all of that, and all the bad advice and misunderstandings that come from our really different lives, I don't trust anyone more right now to love me through life in this weird country. As we swelter through this heatwave together, I know that the ability to bitch at each other and know we'll always be safe at the same time keeps me alive.
I love my partner dearly, and while it's the relationship I put the most effort into maintaining (Kurt Vonnegut, the old so-and-so, is largely correct about humanity in general but the maintenance of a relationship is my favorite part- it's where the love is), I think really, at the end of the day, the relationship that has carried me through the most seasons of life and varieties of experiences has been that which I have with my little brother.
We have a five year age gap, which has meant more and less over the course of our lives, but through many different experiences, meaningful or otherwise, I've always been able to turn to my brother and he's always been able to turn to me. In my darkest moments I consider my brother and how my absence might hurt him. In my greatest moments of joy it's with him I think to share the news. Life can come at me as fast as it likes; whatever the weather, I know at the very least I have my baby brother.
1st year of law school is notoriously so hard, but honestly I am so grateful for it because of the people it brought me. Genuinely met the most amazing group of people who are also so smart and so driven, but also so willing to be truthful about how hard things are and work together to make it just a little better.
I feel lucky to have a North Star who doesn't need many words to be my guiding light. Despite living five hours apart with our own busy daily lives, our 18-year friendship bridges the distance effortlessly. We only get to meet once a year, yet that connection always brings me a profound sense of clarity and perspective.
I’m lucky to have had the same best friend since just before my first birthday (23 years now). Right now the rest of her family is away and she invited me to live with her for the week and a half before they come back, which had been super fun! Getting to be there for the mundane moments of each other’s lives is really nice, especially as we gear up to move away from our home town for good. Now if only she would come downstairs so we could go back to beating mario…
My spouse and I were dating in college when I was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma (bone cancer in my clavicle). I decided to stay in school during treatment, and she carried me through emotionally, spiritually, and physically. Every morning she would stop by my dorm to help me with various tasks, including bathing and dressing when I was recovering from a surgery that immobilized one of my arms. I’ll never forget watching her tying my shoelaces one morning and realizing that this is what real love looks like. We’ve been married now for 13 years, and she’s still the most remarkable human being I’ll ever know.
You made it to the end!
What’s something that makes you optimistic about the future? We’d love to hear about it!
Send your optimism to [email protected].
