Once upon a time (~150 years ago), life for most people looked almost identical from one…

Once upon a time (~150 years ago), life for most people looked almost identical from one generation to the next.

Most people, in most places, throughout most of history...
A person born in one town could expect to:
• grow up there
• marry someone else from there
• raise kids alongside their own childhood friends
• work a career there (in the same industry as their parents)
• die in that same town (from a similar affliction as their parents)

Why does this matter?
Psychological Stability.

When our life resembles the past, we can make reasonable predictions about our future. Broadly speaking, to "assume the pattern holds" was a pretty safe bet.

That predictability did a lot of quiet work to:
• reduce decision fatigue
• anchor our identity
• softened uncertainty

Then, very quickly, the pattern broke.

Geography changed.
Work changed.
Family structures changed.
Trusted institutions changed.
Technology changed.

But our psychology didn’t keep pace.

We still crave predictability.
We still look for patterns.
We still want a story that makes the future feel legible.

Our grandparents had certainty but few choices.
We have infinite choices but little certainty.

Today's value creation isn't from predicting the future.
It's building a self that can navigate whatever shows up next.