The consumer model is in a sense an old-fashioned and fairly primitive and definitely a wasteful way of satisfying your needs. The consumer model is based on the concept of more more more. However, we have reached the law of diminishing returns for this idea to provide greater happiness. We find that the pursuit of more now leads to stress and unhealthy lifestyles. We need to replace more with better. We need to live a richer live. Not richer in terms of products — certainly many nations have not yet reached this point, but we surely have — but richer in terms of experiences, accomplishments, collaboration, connections, and skills. We need to live better lives. It is possible to live better without requiring more. The idea that higher incomes lead to happiness is bunk. Higher incomes generally require people to stay connected to their offices instead working all the time. The idea that you need a million dollars to retire is based on old-fashioned ideas of total dependence on the mall. You do not need more stuff. You need better stuff. You do not need to do more and work yourself to an early death to accumulate more. You need to do better; both for your own sake as well as for the sake of future generations.
That is all there is to it and this is where we are going!
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Originally posted 2009-04-22 16:37:06.
