The direction we are taking

The very first time I visited a developing country the most burning question in my mind was "how do the people feel about their lives?" I had seen the oppressive poverty on TV but I had not witnessed how people mentally responded to it. I had imagined that they were constantly upset, dissatisfied with their lives, and distraught. Having visited a few developing countries and having lived in one for a year, that view point seems laughably naive. The real answer is that people generally feel the same way about their lives as we do (whoever we happens to be). Point is, you adapt to the situation you are in whether or not you make a few dollars a day or a few million, your daily attitudes and thoughts are remarkably comparable. I should say that I am speaking in generalities and in no way am I trying to trivialize real poverty that does profoundly peoples lives in a very sad and unjust way. What I am saying is that in the developed world we have this concept that on a daily basis our lives are immeasurably better than those of people living in impoverished nations, when the reality is that I cannot say that my friends here are less happy or enjoy their lives less than my friends in the states. In fact, looking at what some of my friends in the states have gone through, if I had to choose I would say that on a daily basis people enjoy their lives here more than my friends in the states. I am not sure why exactly, but despite this truth, we are still so convinced that our lives are so much better that descriptions and reports on this topic only register at a superficial level. We say, "huh, yeah that is true. How interesting." and then move on. Think about the phrase "money does not buy happiness." We all know this to be true but we still chase after money as if it did. Also, if we know this to be true how come only a few of us have attempted to answer the follow up question "If it doesn't then what does?" Its like we forget to ask and just go with the last answer we had, money. With the current crisis we are crazy not to rethink this situation but not that much more crazy than not rethinking it even without the crisis. It was stupid before the economic and climatic crisis and it sort of slaps you in the face now. Lets review, the system we use to chase after false progress is falling apart and it is ruining the physical world we exist and survive in. Perhaps this false idea of progress is the real crisis? At the same time we are terrified of anything that "would be a step backwards." Reduce consumption? "That would ruin us!" Which is a flat lie and many of us know this. The problem is that we think of it only as loosing something without ever considering what we gain in return. If getting and using more money is what we are looking for then it is certainly a reduction. Yet, if happiness is what we are looking for many of the changes are not reductions but increases in our quality of life. Why does that seem like such a crazy idea?

As you think about that, read this: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/cif-green/2009/jul/15/technofix-climate-change

"Instead of asking how to continue to grow the economy while attempting to cut carbon, we should be asking why economic growth is seen as more important than survival."