Smoking going away

A student asked me, “Why would anyone start smoking? It just means you’ll have fewer friends.”

It’s a good point. Though smokers and nonsmokers don’t always segregate themselves from one another, it’s often the case.

None of my friends, as far as I know, smoke.

I was going to tell my student, “Smokers also have a lot fewer dating options,” but since he’s still in elementary school, I refrained.

Three years ago, a different student told me, “I wish I liked boys and girls. Then I’d have a lot more chances to find love.”

Also a good point and a beautiful sentiment, though bigots and religious fanatics would disagree.

I didn’t say that to him, either.

But smoking rates have indeed been declining precipitously for a long time. The number of cigarettes sold in the United States has been declining about 4 percent to 5 percent each year as a result of lower uptake, more quitting, and “involuntary exits from the tobacco consumer base.”

That’s Big Tobacco’s way of saying that their product occasionally kills their customers.

Vaping is a problem, of course, and incredibly stupid, but even vaping rates are now declining.

This is all great news.

I highlight this because we often ignore and even reject the notion of progress in the face of our many problems. People love to complain, bemoan, wallow, lament, and even revel in doom-and-gloom scenarios, failing to acknowledge the enormous progress happening around us.

This is a bit of that progress. A lot fewer people are smoking these days. Smoking has been relegated to outdoor locations far away from entranceways, walkways, and general society. Smoking sections in restaurants are relics of the past. Decorative ashtrays are no longer a staple of middle school art classes.

The world has dramatically shifted in a short time in an incredibly positive way.

Let’s take a moment to celebrate that tremendous progress before you return to doom scrolling on your favorite social media app.