Here’s an interesting thought experiment. Imagine that you would be reincarnated into the soul and body of someone on Earth, 25 years old, at random.

You won’t know what you know now, you’ll simply live their life.

What year would you choose?

Since it’s random, it’s not about picking the best year to be among the wealthiest 1% (only a hundred-to-one chance) or even to be a US citizen (3% chance).

You might pick an era long ago, knowing that you would likely live half as long, but without a drumbeat of media stress and anxiety…

Or you could pick a year without the black plague or civil war, and with useful medical and community innovations…

What year gives you the best odds of living what you think of as a good life? Not just that year, but the years that follow…

It forces us to consider entitlement, hope, possibility and what matters. And it’s not a bad way to set an agenda.