Has reality outgrown the growth mantra? (companies, school, economic, financial)
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The older I get and the more I learn about the state and functioning of the world, the more it becomes obvious to me that the old growth mantra is outdated. There is no meaningful or sustainable goal behind it.
So, what could be an alternative mantra for the future if we dared to rethink and redefine our priorities and long-term goals as humans?
I just read an article on the Growth Busters, who seem to share my view Growthbusters: Hooked on Growth
I haven't seen that movie, yet, but hope to get a chance to do so.
In the article it said that there is a commission now in the German parliament that investigates any correlations between growth and quality of life, and tries to explore alternatives to the growth-based. Germany's finance minister even said Western economies should deliberately limit their growth, an amazing statement from a finance minister...
The older I get and the more I learn about the state and functioning of the world, the more it becomes obvious to me that the old growth mantra is outdated. There is no meaningful or sustainable goal behind it.
It was always impossible. You can't have infinite growth with finite resources. You can't always make more money next year than you did this year (or somebody's head rolls...). The "profit maximization at any cost" (including human cost) is a corrupt and destructive philosophy. Now that we've defeated the evils of Godless communism we have to come to grips with the evils of Godless capitalism. We have to accept the concept of "good enough". If we made enough money this year, it's OK if we make the same next year; we don't have to fire anybody. We also have to recognize that there is such a thing as an obscene profit. I sometimes think we should round up all the graduates of Harvard Business School and make sure they are never allowed to be in charge of anything ever again.
It was always impossible. You can't have infinite growth with finite resources. You can't always make more money next year than you did this year (or somebody's head rolls...). The "profit maximization at any cost" (including human cost) is a corrupt and destructive philosophy. Now that we've defeated the evils of Godless communism we have to come to grips with the evils of Godless capitalism. We have to accept the concept of "good enough". If we made enough money this year, it's OK if we make the same next year; we don't have to fire anybody. We also have to recognize that there is such a thing as an obscene profit. I sometimes think we should round up all the graduates of Harvard Business School and make sure they are never allowed to be in charge of anything ever again.
OK. I'm done. Felt good to get that out.
I agree, but the part in bold is scary for many people as the opposite is their motivation in life.
The emphasis should be on meeting people's actual needs in as sustainable a way as possible. Endless growth is not possible and never was. It seemed to work when half the world's land was largely undeveloped, sparsely populated wilderness, but that's not the case anymore.
I just read an article on the Growth Busters, who seem to share my view Growthbusters: Hooked on Growth
I haven't seen that movie, yet, but hope to get a chance to do so.
In the article it said that there is a commission now in the German parliament that investigates any correlations between growth and quality of life, and tries to explore alternatives to the growth-based. Germany's finance minister even said Western economies should deliberately limit their growth, an amazing statement from a finance minister...
What I see in the US is a "facade/fake growth", in that retail ever expands and commercial real estate/strip malls continue to be constructed, yet there is little demand, or even a marked amount of consumers having a taste for it. i.e. companies like Jackson-Hewitt tax preparation, Edward Jones and Sprint/At &T will continue to lease out space in dead and/or dying strip malls.
And of course banks. There are 20 banks on one main road here, lol, usually empty.
Yup..we've pretty much hit peak everything now and are having a hard time dealing with the reality of it and adjusting to it.
So, what could be an alternative? To many people, especially the economic and financial movers and shakers, growth is like the bible they live by. What could replace it? I haven't noticed any change so far. During the crisis the main question seemed to be how to get back on the same track that has led us into the trouble in the first place, rather than finding new tracks leading somewhere else.
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