The video below offers a nice exploration on left v right in terms of the conditions in a nation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rStL7niR7gs

I think, personally and without solid justification, that our generation is a sacrificial one. If we accept our lives as being imperfect, but aim to reduce the imperfection of those that come after, we're on the best path. Planting trees whose shade we'll never sit in, with the caveat we're also helping people see that the shade is more valuable than the lumber, and that the world always needs more of both.