There was a time when owning a bicycle meant you were the richest man in the village. A time when pilau, soda, and meat were delicacies reserved for weddings and holidays. When new clothes were bought once a year, if at all. When even having clothes was a privilege, not a given.

Now? A bicycle is just an old-fashioned ride. Pilau is street food. Soda is overconsumed to the point where doctors tell us to avoid it. Clothes? You can walk into any mall and buy more than you need without even thinking about it.

By every material measure, we’ve won. Humanity has conquered hunger (for most), built cities that never sleep, and placed every answer we could ever need in a device that fits in our pocket. We have more choices, more possessions, more comfort than the kings of old. But if we’ve gained so much… why does it feel like we’ve lost something along the way?

There is one thing I don’t see in history books: a time when stress and mental health struggles were as widespread as they are today. Depression, anxiety, burnout—these words, once rare, are now daily conversations. And it makes you wonder: did we trade something priceless for all this progress?

Was it contentment? The ability to enjoy what we had, rather than constantly chase what we don’t?

Was it community? The way people used to gather, talk, and live together rather than through screens?

Was it purpose? The sense that life had meaning beyond career goals and financial success?

Maybe, in our race to own everything, we left behind the things that truly matter.

The old days weren’t perfect. Hardships were real, opportunities were fewer, and life was not easy. But in that simplicity, people found joy in the small things. A plate of pilau was a celebration, not just another meal. A bicycle was freedom, not just a mode of transport. Clothes were valued, not thrown away after a few uses.

Maybe we haven’t missed anything, we’ve just forgotten how to see value in what we already have.

Maybe the key to happiness isn’t just more. Maybe it’s learning to appreciate enough.