“If you still believe that growth is the only way to improve our world … start with health, freedom, love or peace.”

While economy is based on the assumption that only growth in production and consumption will lead to more prosperity, it appears there is a movement that started to acknowledge more universal desires, which in fact are not seeking for quantitative growth. There is a new quest is for less consumption, but better experiences; be it health, freedom, love or peace, we see an uprising of being versus having, quality versus quantity, experience versus possession.
Change is no more the sole vehicle for economic growth alone; change has become an option, and keeping the status quo has become an alternative. To some degree, this made ‘conservative’ a bad term, even though most people will indisputable agree that there are not many values like nature, freedom, love and peace, that deserve it more to be protected, preserved.

This is not about stagnation at all; it is about progressive change of our value system.
If we wish to pursue our long lasting future, we will need to move away from the illusion of eternal materialistic growth. We will need to move towards more ethically inspired concepts of qualitative growth, that – even when wasted or pervasively brought forward to all people in this world – may bring qualitative prosperity to every human being, and pave the way to a sustainable future.

One of the major steps to take will be the change of our measurement systems. We will not be able to measure the qualitative growth and progress in simple spreadsheets or existing currencies of our financial world. We will need to agree on a new currency, that denominates not financial wealth, but sustainability, quality of living, universal values.

Today, I have a more sound belief, that across any given culture in our diverse world, we ultimately share the same values, if we only take it to a high enough level. I have a hope that, fueled by our ability to overcome biological determinism, we take the chance to work on a joint future, to create a higher set of values that unite, and abdicate those that have taught us to compete and fight.
(mp)