Not that he first proposed the actual thought experiment, but Barack Obama had a great point when he declared, “If you had to choose one moment in history in which you could be born, and you didn’t know ahead of time who you were going to be–what nationality, what gender, what race, whether you’d be rich or poor, gay or straight, what faith you’d be born into–you wouldn’t choose 100 years ago. You wouldn’t choose the fifties, or the sixties, or the seventies. You’d choose right now.”

We certainly have our problems, and it will take a lot more than effort or humility to create the solutions, but the fact remains that’s a true statement. We live in a world more free, more fair, and more just, than any time before. Is it 100% free, fair, or just? No. Breonna Taylor. No, the Uyghurs in China. No, there are human rights violations around the world.

And yes, it’s incredibly easy for me to comment on all this as a straight white male American in California. But we’ve made progress, and I try to do my part in perpetuating the progress previous generations have made.

There is so much work to do. But there is also so much to be grateful for—can we thread the needle? Can we do both?