In many ways the world is a better place than it was a hundred years ago, but relative to what is possible, the progress and performance of our enviro-socio-economic system is rather pathetic. From my view point the systemic dysfunction is caused in some considerable part by the very poor metrics we use in out modern system. Profit and stock value are far too dominant, together with GDP and GDP growth ... while most of the things that have true value are ignored, like for example, parenting ... and elder care only when it is the money paid to the caregiving industry. There are metrics for the cost and the profit being made on every product that flows through the economy, but there is nothing about the goodness (or not) of the products and the impact their life cycle is having on the environment ... and when productivity goes up, and payroll goes down, and profits go up, and society goes down we only take notice of the profit. No wonder most of the big decisions are wrong and the world is ... compared to where it should be ... a serious disaster!