Degrowth is currently a topic of significant interest, presenting the idea of “degrowing” as a necessity to address our problems. (this is based on a previous article on Linkedin). The implicit message is clear and seems to point in the right direction. However, it all depends on how we define “growth.” Upon closer examination, “Degrowth” appears as an odd term to use in this context. But this unusual choice stems from its financial-economic focus. It highlights how humanity’s perception evaluates everything through the lens of money and financial economics, a system humans themselves have constructed and have forgotten is detached from physical reality. In fact, this very system exacerbates our problems.
What many people refer to as “growth” is essentially synonymous with depletion. It signifies anti-growth and is rooted in a crippled financial system. This form of growth benefits a few individuals at the expense of depleting all life-supporting systems. In an indirect way, this kind of growth definition is already responsible for and creating “degrowth,” meaning there’s no growth for large population groups worldwide.
What genuinely requires growth are the life-supporting systems. We need to encourage growth in nature-inclusive living. This means that we should perceive ourselves as an integral part of nature rather than standing above it. Instead of preserving and nurturing our living environment, we tend to deplete and destroy it. With the absence of natural predators (which we’ve also eradicated), we now sit atop the food chain. I often recall a Bushman who considered lions as a source of food, yet was equally aware that the lion viewed him as a meal as well. A balanced relationship. However, those times are long gone.
Furthermore, as content and happy as recent studies might suggest hunter-gatherer societies were, this lifestyle is no longer feasible for a population of 8 billion people. As well are there no longer any predators that can eat us, except for ourselves; we have become our own adversaries and destroyers.
But this underscores the need to allow our natural environment, i.e., nature, to flourish wherever it can. Ultimately, this is the foundation of our existence. “Degrowth” is a concept that arises from the current state of affairs, the way we’ve organized the world and how we want to control it. Expecting change by examining things in the same manner without altering the concept is bound to fail.
The focus of our discussion should not be on (de-)growth because it would revert to a fake financial-economic perspective. This system is precisely the cause of our problems. It’s high time we began to consider matters through the lens of our world’s genuine values—values that enhance our living environment by adding energy and resources or, at the very least, by not depleting them but allowing for recovery and growth.
Additionally, the concept of “environmental limits” is an odd approach as well. Its also human focused. In reality, there are no “environmental limits.” There are only “environmental changes,” encompassing continuous transformations. There are no constraints on evolution, for instance. It is humanity itself that is now obstructing evolution, halting change, and hindering the system’s growth. In essence, there are human-imposed limits, but nature itself knows no such bounds. We continue to operate within the frame we’ve created, consistently financing it with money, all the while focused on destructive endeavors.
We must shift our perspective away from this paradigm where money grows and leads to the related troubles. Instead, we should adopt a far more logical strategy—Regrowth. But not involving money; instead, we should focus on resources. In other words, it’s about counteracting depletion, reducing entropy. However, this strategy shouldn’t concern humans within their isolated environments; rather, it should encompass the entire system. It’s about reorganizing and re-concentrating nature and resources. As far as we know now, this planet is the only one in the universe where this can happen. It’s the one and only reason for our existence.
However, humans, originating from this system, deny this reality. On the only planet in the universe where this system can grow and organize itself, they’re attempting to expedite its degradation. So, “Regrowth” doesn’t only represent the growth of nature and the environment. It signifies necessary growth in civilization, essentially a form of re-education. Humans must mature and cease living as children in a candy store. They’re increasingly retreating into cities and creating a dream world there, detached from all physical reality[1]. It’s time for them to awaken and move beyond their self-satisfaction. Instead of talking about “Degrowth,” it’s time to finally
Enter an Age of Regrowth!
[1] http://www.ronaldrovers.com/living-in-dreamland/
