I guess I haven't realized we're in a simulated reality here in America, or for that matter, anywhere else in the world. I guess that means I'm still plugged into the Matrix. :)

I'm not entirely sure if I'm even getting what you're asking, though, but I'll go ahead and offer my opinion and feel free to let me know if I've totally missed what your point was.

It's true that we don't have imminent threats of disease, war, death, etc., as we may have in the past, but that doesn't mean threats don't exist. And while those might not be on a national level, there are still threats to individual and family well-being that occur on a regular basis.

It certainly can feel like we're stuck in some kind of subroutine, and maybe we can get to the point where we don't think anything is real, because we're not feeling, or because nothing really happens. I would say that just because life is better than it has been for most of America's existence, or even the extent of the history of the world, that doesn't mean we're somehow not really living.

I would say life is what we make of it. And living under constant threat of something isn't really living. It's surviving and maintaining, but we don't have to live in constant fear to appreciate joy—we do need to experience both frequently enough to understand them—and maybe that's what's lacking. A little more fear, or pain, or something that makes us feel more.

In my case, I think I have enough of the negative side (without really having a lot) to help me appreciate the really good times. I find myself thinking about that on a regular basis—just how good life is—even when I'm in the moment when something is happening. I would hope never to be so numb to either side of the spectrum (though I have been heading in that direction many times throughout my life) that I couldn't feel that life is precious, and meaningful, and finite. It can continue on for decades, or be snuffed out in an instant.