Micah, you have a knack for asking the obvious questions that only appear obvious after you’ve asked them. Really enjoyed the post. It covers a lot of ground and I want to reflect on the part about living in harmony with each other and with nature. At a global scale and compared to prior generations, I can’t think of a time when humans have lived more in harmony since the invention of agriculture (and maybe even before). But we certainly don’t live in harmony with nature or other species. Among urban intellectuals and Gen Z students at liberal arts colleges, I sense momentum for the “let’s live within our means”, degrowth politics. I feel that pull myself. And as we all become cluttered and stressed out with an economy of abundance, I imagine the movement will gain more force. *But*, I’m writing this from Nairobi. The East African Community will more than double in size by 2100 while Europe and East Asia shrink. The Neoliberal, hustler, Christian, manifest destiny mindset is so strong here. I imagine a future where the shrinking populations/economies of the US, Europe, Japan, and New Zealand advocate for Candide-style organic farming while the growing economies/populations of Africa and India become the biggest advocates of Neoliberalism, extractavism, and space colonization.
Micah, you have a knack for asking the obvious questions that only appear obvious after you’ve asked them. Really enjoyed the post. It covers a lot of ground and I want to reflect on the part about living in harmony with each other and with nature. At a global scale and compared to prior generations, I can’t think of a time when humans have lived more in harmony since the invention of agriculture (and maybe even before). But we certainly don’t live in harmony with nature or other species. Among urban intellectuals and Gen Z students at liberal arts colleges, I sense momentum for the “let’s live within our means”, degrowth politics. I feel that pull myself. And as we all become cluttered and stressed out with an economy of abundance, I imagine the movement will gain more force. *But*, I’m writing this from Nairobi. The East African Community will more than double in size by 2100 while Europe and East Asia shrink. The Neoliberal, hustler, Christian, manifest destiny mindset is so strong here. I imagine a future where the shrinking populations/economies of the US, Europe, Japan, and New Zealand advocate for Candide-style organic farming while the growing economies/populations of Africa and India become the biggest advocates of Neoliberalism, extractavism, and space colonization.