The beauty of degrowth

We got 9 years or so to avoid or smooth an unprecendented clima crisis and in a couple of decades an energy crisis. Those are not inevitable, nor desirable. Most importantly, the amount of winners of business as usual is going to go down and hence tensions will emerge. 

Our system to hold requires a majority of the society from which the benefits of development or production is translated into good quality standards. A world of pandemics, chonic injustice and inequality, environonmental and energy collapse is not an viable future.

The major opportunity and the better chance we have, relies in our imaginary, our ideas and belief system. We need to change the way we see the world, and immediately after, or in synchrony, we must change our behaviour at individual, corporate and global level. 

Not everyone will do it fast enough, and some will wait till it is mandatory by law. That's not ideal, but it is ok,. We see it with Corona, and the other crisis, when talking about common protection and social equity, we need regulatory and social system change.

I would like to share a vision that breaks with the negative trends, and protect the positive trends we observed in the last two houndred years. Let me start in three dimensions, first with our inner self, then our community and last our goverments.

Searching the real ME

Imagine  that, instead of chasing permanently our perfect self, ideals and traits demanded externally, we follow compasion to our virtues and limitations, and authenticity as our development plan.

Instead of being obsessed with money, power and external recognition, we rather pursue impact, meaning and connection. We look at others with admiration, humility and willingness to help, not with envy and fear of lossing the competition game. 

Our goals and aspirations in life are less egocentric, less focus on getting things, winning or consuming ralentlessly. We celebrate life, time and joy in harmless and human ways that leave little harm on others forms of life. Instead of pretending to be busy all the time, we celebrate the abundancy of time, and engage into creative forms of leisure. 

Our feet, our bikes and our trains are our preferred means of transport, were we either gain health of enjoy the time that public transport offers.  Our preferred gifts are the attention, devotion and time of our loved ones, mobiles phones and social media remain useful tools but not substitutes for real connection, which happens when we engage in deep and long conversations.

From I to WE, from WE to US

Our neighbours, and our cities are no longer strange to us. Big cities enjoy a healthy balance in scale, diversity and localism, where we participate in the cultural activities and festivities, making the arts and cuisine the signs of identity of every region. 

We leave to seldom ocasions exotic, unhealthy or cruel forms of consumption, taking a serious step to moderate and control alchol and other additions, and not celebrate drug abuse, or create tabus about prostitution, pornography and other poor attemps of failed connection. 

We support farmers, artists, teachers, doctors, small business in their critical role to provide economic opportunities and resilience to our region. We protect the beauty of the small, the unique outcomes of handicrafting, the intimacy of the things done by hands. 

We pay the fair price of what it matters, good salaries and working conditions to the critical professions, those that proof to be essential during the pandemic. Unemployment goes down, as more and more people is required to the care economy: protecting peoples health in a preventive and hollistic way, supporting mental illnesses and social injustice, restoring wilderness, and increasing the surface of  pristine natural spaces for recreation and relaxation, added to the list of world heritages. 

Our business are places of excellence, not for the sake of competition and growth, but for the pursue of social impact and meaningful visions of a better world, in a financially sustainable way.  Speculation is persecuted, and the rights of a decent working conditions, housing, education and health is implemented at large and effectively. 

The budget for the army is shrinking, and all military professionals are helping to rescue people and protect natural spaces, instead of being part of the nasty business of war.

Global COOPERATION instead of COMPETITION

Instead of a race to the bottom between countries, we develop solutions to share across boarders for the common good, charging a fair price to keep innovation incentives in balance. We are racing to be the best country to live, with clean air, energy and food supplies, effective social services, job opportunities that matter, green spaces and just societies. 

We engage in a race to the top of human development, not in terms of GDP, but rather in terms of peace, justice, freedom and health, of humans and the ecosystem that life depend on.

We do not need perfection, we need to point to the right direction. Growth and its unavoidable side effect of pollution, useless production, excessive wealth accumulation and destructive competition is leading to nowhere and the root of the crisis. 

We need to dedicate every act, every euro, every though, to the most beautiful world, our hearts knows is possible. Please stop complaining our faking that you cannot do anything, or that "every little gesture counts", we need a few million people in the rich world showing that this is possible, and that will have an impact that last, and at least it is worth trying. 

It is so pretty, that what will lead to our happiness, our health, the joy and success of our societies, is nothing else and nothing more that the best for our natural environment and FUTURE. We are connected, whether you wanted or not, and taking decisive steps in your imaginary and behaviour, is the best technology we have to change the world. I believe we can, do you?