Is it true that at this moment Latvians are living as well as they have never lived before? "If we take a number of macroeconomic indicators, then yes," said sociologist Arnis Kāktins in an interview with nra.lv TV sarunas.
He meant such an indicator as the average salary, although, according to his own words, this is like an average temperature in a hospital, since, as is known, some in the government have huge salaries, while others are doing very poorly, but the average salary has still gone up, and in historical terms, these are the best results.
If we assess the standard of living based on the average salary and average income level, then Latvians are living better than ever (again, on average, the situation may differ for each individual), and it seems that this is an objective reality, claims the sociologist.
He draws historical parallels with the stage of the 19th century, characterized by the word "decadence." This was also the case here, during this time, a center of Riga was built over ten years, surrounded by various factories. This was not only in Riga but throughout Europe and around the world - now it would be called globalization.
At that time, there was a colossal flourishing, a huge rise in the standard of living, etc. However, decadence is more associated with art and literature, and there were more sensitive people - artists, writers - who felt that everything was going nowhere. There is a colossal rise, but it seems that all of this will end very badly. What shall we do? We will enjoy life because that is the only thing we can do! And from history, we know that they were right - the First World War happened, concludes Kāktins.
