It was the best of times

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way” (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities). Are we (or at least some of us) living in the happiest of times today, or are these times the least happy? Or are they best in some ways, worst in others, and if so, which? Ground your answers in the materials we have surveyed in the course, but your opinion also counts.