Sure we face big problems and complex global challenges like dwindling natural resources, the end of cheep energy, over population, climate change and global warming, insane debt and financial instability, war and political ineptitude.
But the solution to these problems is already available to us. However it's either not what we want to hear, or the significant mindset shift, shift in values and behaviour, development of relevant skills and the political will required to make it happen pushes us way beyond our levels of comfort.
The truth seems to be that the 150-year old party is over. That the age of exponential economic growth which rode on the back of a seemingly never-ending supply of cheep energy and the American Dream as we have come to know it, is over. In fact the end began about 20-years ago, we just haven't yet gotten around to acknowledging it.
We now face the rather dreary task of cleaning up after the party and getting down to the business of constructing a culture that values and measures growth in new more integrated ways. And not just financial or the bottom line. And of finding ways to live within our ecological means using substantially less energy and with considerably less stuff.
What scares us, I think, are images of post-modern slums and sci-fi movies depicting the barren post apocalyptic landscape.
But it really doesn't have to be like that, only if we believe the party can go on forever, which is just silly. Yes, life will be different and it is going to mean some dramatic changes in how we think, what we value and how we live. But on the other hand it could, if we cultivate the political will, mean greater equality, connection and human well-being.
A time of unparalleled creativity and innovation, which contrary to what we have been led to believe is not cultivated through pressure, stress, insanely long working hours, meaningless deadlines and fear.
Yip, it's going to mean that we carve out another definition of what it means to be successful, a more relevant and dare I say it... complex and mature one.
Paul,
ReplyDeleteWhat scares me is admitting to my children that the luxury they have grown up in comes at a cost far greater than I understand but could likely figure out if I really wanted to.
I have become more aware of how I spend my money, time and energy thanks to you. When I feel the yearning for a house with more room I quickly come back down to earth and realize I have so much room, and really how much do I/my family really need?
Hey Brent and thx for taking this conversation further. It may be helpful to look at it like this. Imagine your forefathers won a massive lotto. So much money that the prospect of it ever ending just never occurred to them. Over a few generations, no-one bothered to check how much money was left, it was just assumed there was a never-ending supply.
DeleteYou and the generations before never really thought about building infrastructure and sustainability, I mean you might have done a few things, done some good, but in truth the bulk of the money was squandered in opulence. And you will never really realise how much until it's gone. Only then do you get to ask... maybe we could have made different decisions.
South Africa is always a solid practical example of this. In the late 1800's huge amounts of gold was discovered. So much that the prospect of it ever ending never occurred to anyone (or they didn't have the maturity to think that far into the future). Now this coupled with the fear of being white in a 90% African environment led to complex strategies of picking expensive fights with all its neighbours, deliberate policies of under-development, a massive war machine and huge monopolies (to name a few). Very little of the money was actually spent on sustainable development.
Inevitably the gold came to an end and South Africa was left to clean up after a 100-year party of slavish opulence and oppression. Leaving behind a trail of fear, anger, poverty, dramatically inadequate eduction and shoddy infrastructure. And the natural resources that could have helped solve the problem... gone, squandered.
I think about sums it up.
The answer as always is growing up, living within our means (total means) and probably most importantly managing fear which leads to all sorts of weird and wonderful strategies.