I have the complete opposite interpretation. Life before was gruesome and today we live in a world of relative plenty if not obvious excess. Reduction of input costs makes us more wealthy not less. How many shirts do you own? How long do you work to afford a lavish bowl of berries and cream?
Of course - I meant the transition, not the final outcome. But we will live in the transition, not in the resulting paradise.
For example, think about the native Americans in the US. Not to bash the US, just to illustrate. Millions of them died when settlers from Europe took over. Now living conditions in the US are great, but for the people who got killed in the process it was not so great.
