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| Easter Island's civilization is on that historically famously collapsed. |
It is understood that the acceptance of a new idea is not
what frustrates change rather it is the letting go of that with which we are
familiar.
Considering that and conscious that we have become so
emboldened by, and addicted to, tradition – a familiar and established way of
doing – that the vitality and excitement of change is no longer attractive,
interesting or inspiring, and so instead, in the extreme, frightening and so
something to be avoided.
Society has changed immeasurably in the past few centuries,
but those differences have always been within the relatively narrow confines of
cultures driven by wants rather than needs.
The difficulty confronting humanity, particularly in the
past two or three centuries but in reality for millennia, has been differentiating
between wants and needs.
History is littered with examples of civilizations being
sacrificed on the altar of a perverse wants, a want that could be answered only
through the pointless and needless death of millions and, ultimately, the
collapse of the civilization of which there were an integral part.
The current trajectory of modern life has, it seems, just
one destiny; a point where the developed world will fall to its knees,
exhausted, from the weight of its own largesse.
Rather than live in hypnotic-like trance in which we
tirelessly pursue profit and growth in our materialistic, confrontational,
consumerist world and in which happiness and contentment is at best chancy; we
need to reassert fundamental human values of collaboration, sharing,
generosity, friendship and a connection with nature.
Humanity’s present aspirations are perverted in that they
appear unrelated to the broad betterment of people, regardless of their
socio-economic standing, except, of course, for those among the super-rich
minority.
Happiness is not connected, despite our present mindset, to
wealth and consumption with many studies demonstrating how the relationship
between happiness and wealth ends about the time our needs are answered.
Work and human wellbeing are intimately connected and yet
the former has gained such primacy that the latter is left in disrepair with
most of us medicating our unease through consumption.
Humans are innately social and instead of bonding through
shopping, we should be investing our time and energy, and resources, into
building stronger and more resilient communities in which our neighbours become
our friends.
We should be advocating for public transit; sharing
everything from vehicles to various house appliances and garden tools; working
with neighbours to build and repair our homes and grow and share our food;
re-inventing our neighbourhoods, enabling them to become places in which we
live, in every sense; and, importantly, remain engaged with our fellows.
