“How Economic Growth Has Become Anti-Life”

Dr. Michael LaitmanIn the News (from The Guardian): “Limitless growth is the fantasy of economists, businesses and politicians. It is seen as a measure of progress. As a result, gross domestic product (GDP), which is supposed to measure the wealth of nations, has emerged as both the most powerful number and dominant concept in our times. However, economic growth hides the poverty it creates through the destruction of nature, which in turn leads to communities lacking the capacity to provide for themselves.

“Thus nature’s amazing cycles of renewal of water and nutrients are defined into nonproduction. The peasants of the world, who provide 72% of the food, do not produce; women who farm or do most of the housework do not fit this paradigm of growth either. A living forest does not contribute to growth, but when trees are cut down and sold as timber, we have growth. Healthy societies and communities do not contribute to growth, but disease creates growth through, for example, the sale of patented medicine. …

“Both ecology and economics have emerged from the same roots – ‘oikos,’ the Greek word for household. As long as economics was focused on the household, it recognized and respected its basis in natural resources and the limits of ecological renewal. It was focused on providing for basic human needs within these limits. Economics as based on the household was also women-centered. Today, economics is separated from and opposed to both ecological processes and basic needs. While the destruction of nature has been justified on grounds of creating growth, poverty and dispossession has increased. While being non-sustainable, it is also economically unjust.”

My Comment: Our evil inclination, egoism, plays with us and drives is into crisis and a dead end, so that we recognize its evil and begin to seek the way to correct it, until we find the wisdom of Kabbalah and take over its realization and goal. This happens according to plan: “I have created the evil inclination, I have created the Torah as a spice. This refers to the Light in it, since the Light in it reforms it.” First, there is the recognition of evil of our nature, and then search for the means to correct the evil.
[121598]

Related Material:
It’s Enough To Pray For Economic Growth
Economics Done By The Balance Formula
Not Bolts, But Creators Of A New World

Discussion | Share Feedback | Ask a question




Laitman.com Comments RSS Feed