The Problem with Surplus

*Apologies for contentiousness of this article. It is meant to spark discussion, but does reflect where I've been moving to internally.

Not to state the obvious, but we live in a society of tremendous change. Compared to the way life was lived 100 years ago, 1000 years ago, 10000 years ago - we might as well be aliens. The scale of time is pretty much nothing if you agree with the myths of science that say humans first came into being ~2 million years ago. But is 'tremendous change' synonymous with 'tremendous progress'?

As this article beautifully states, the accelerated rate of change correlated strongly with humanity's harnessing of exogenous sources of energy (this includes controlled fire, animal power, cultivated agriculture, slaves, and fossil fuels). In each case of technological advancement, we are in effect talking about more work with less human input (productivity). So instead of a person needing 3 hours to find food, he/she now can get roughly the same effect in 2 hours. Creating, in effect, a surplus of time, to be used for other activities (theoretically creating more happiness). You multiply that many many times over, and you have our society today.

All I've said thus far sounds great - more results, less time, more happies. what could be better? Except, that's not how it's actually playing out. How many folks do you know that have a surplus of leisure time? It turns out that there's a few chinks in the way this system is run that create pretty unfavorable results when played out to extremes (which we are now doing)-

1-Most of the surplus is captured by a few private parties: So what happened to all this free time our society has worked so hard to get me? Turns out I'm just another hamster on the wheel, trying to build even more surplus, even though in aggregate we already have more than we need. Why? Because if I don't, I can't pay rent. That's the nature of my surplus - if I save 2 hours a day by driving a car instead of biking, >90% of that saved time goes to my employer. If I save even more time flying instead of driving, same results. At every turn, the majority of surplus is being captured (in the form of profits) by the smallest sliver of people in the corporate hierarchy.

2-Most of the (unannounced) negative externalities do fall on us and the broader environment: Let's take a small example. Technology allows creation of tons of food by very few people. We all save time from not having to grow crops (which is then mostly spent working on other things instead). Now, the private company reaps the time benefits, but when I get diseases from eating this mass-produced food, well that's on me. And when the soils become unusably degraded, same deal. Key negative externalities from surplus - high volatility/inequality, environmental degradation, societal unhealthiness. In each case, things take a while to show up, but results are similar.

3-Happiness may be most easily accessible by not deviating from what nature evolved us to do: All this might even be worth it if human beings ended up quantifiably better off from the changes we're going for. However, I would argue that in aggregate that's not the case! Sure, in a vacuum you may say a Big Mac can make a person happier, but the eventual heart attack says otherwise. The holistic nature of technological progress is such that we cannot selectively accept it - its either all or nothing. Like a celebrity that loathes paparazzi, it is not possible to have one without the other. This means that while the internet may be bringing us together, it's all relative in a world where atom bombs and biological weapons exist. Personally, I have a hard time believing happiness is found by chasing anything outside ourselves.

So, given the above, one can say 'well, at least I have my MacBook and that makes it all worth it', or, one can be open to the idea that it may all be corrosive. Maybe, in aggregate, there is a better answer to be found in another direction.

I am NOT saying that its time to reject everything and become luddites (nor do I believe its possible once Pandora's box has been opened). However, there is value in cultivating intention, and intentionally moving away from pushing for more and more surplus at the edges. One step at a time; towards a way of living that is more aligned with the majority of our history, and away from compulsion towards illusory productivity.

The Secret Document that Spurred Capitalism in China

i read this article and i think - jeez, clearly profit motive and being self-serving is good! i mean, they all got to eat and then some!

and yet, there are downsides. inequality that supersedes that of US (according to GINI coefficient), environmental degradation on near unfathomable scale (for starters). indeed, there are 'negative externalities'.

but still, the reaction is that at least (b) is better than (a) - but nobody talks about the 3rd way - the ServiceSpace way :) to NOT assume that the design principles between everyone's ears are fixed. to drive action with more foresight than those with pure self-maximizing motive. to recognize that external action is but a fruit born from the roots of intention.

we are that same village in China that wrote the secret document in 1978; we can be the test bed for the transition away from its lessons.

The extremes of uncertainty

I was doing research on country-specific risks this past week and was met with what seems to be more and more commonplace. It used to be that we didn’t know if GDP would raise by 2% or 2.5% - now the question is if there is going to be inflation or deflation – that’s a lot more uncertainty being brought into the equation! I’m seeing this more and more in almost all facets of life. More uncertainty in global economics, global politics, food production (is there enough wheat this year?), entertainment (who is next years star? In the 80s, the answer was always Michael Jackson), etc.

Uncertainty itself isn’t really what stands out to me, as that’s been evident for a while. However, the (un?)conscious reactions of people to this increased uncertainty has been interesting. There’s one group that chooses to believe the world is getting worse, another that refuses to believe there is anything happening outside of business as usual, and a third group that is in ‘wait and see’ mode. Now of course there’s many more groups out there (including the folks who’ve seen this coming for many years and are working on long-term solutions based on inner clarity), but these seem to be major categories I see.

Between the first two groups, you’re getting bigger and bigger shifts in behavior over time. In the former group (the folks that think the world is degrading), you’re seeing increasing levels of choices made for the ‘greater good’ along with an increasing disdain for those who don’t see what they do. On the flip side, there’s people who are stepping up their business-as-usual habits as they look to show that nothing is amiss (think Palin’s reality show). At some point, this uneasy coexistence is going to break down. In the meantime, the question is which path are each one of us treading and how can we become more clear about our choices in an unbiased way?

Also, happy new year :)

What is growth?

Earlier today, I had the chance to sit down with Katie Teague, who is making a movie on growth.  It is the fuel of finance, thus the economy, and thus the developed world.  A world of constant, infinite, compounded growth.  Without which the majority of our citizens would literally die, as jobs dried up and people couldn’t afford basic necessities… but is this really true?

What’s true in the macro is also true in the micro.  As we all grow in our lives and careers, it's normal to expect a raise every year.  Why?  Because it's a signal of growth.  Growing is good - not growing is downright unamerican.  You didn’t get a raise?  You’re not growing?  Well then you must be no good.

But why only 1 way to measure growth?  If I get a 5% raise next year but eat less healthy food, spend less time with close ones, and do more self-serving work, did I really grow?  Just because the number is easy to measure, is that all that matters?

Other ways to grow beyond financial-
- Grow in generosity (give more of yourself every year)
- Grow in compassion (connect more deeply with others every year)
- Grow in physical health (deeper care for 'lifestyle habits' every year)
- Grow in mental health (deeper understanding of the world every year)
- Grow in balance (continual movement towards deeper harmony within and without)
- Grow in fun

All of these ideas are tougher to measure, but you know it when you have it and when you don’t.  Conversely, financial growth is actually destructive in the long-run.  In the macro, we outstrip the biological capacity to match our insatiable needs, we increase inequity leading to crime/disease/uneducated society, we build a transactional (rather than trust) mindset into the culture.  In the micro, as our financial capabilities grow, so do our waistlines, our debt averages, and our brotherhood with fellow man.

So what to do?  Even if I’m right, that just means we’re doomed because we’re part of a system that demands infinite growth…right?  Well, no.  Anything can be changed, but some things are harder than others.  What we’re talking about is a long project, and a systemic deconstructing of many implicitly held beliefs.  There are people that are doing this now.  But it’s not easy to deny gratifying easily attainable sensual pleasures. 

Here we have another reason to practice turning the lens within.  Over time, it may become easier to not react to such desires and really begin to act in a way that brings balance within and without.  If that starts to happen in many people at once, you have the start of a movement away from constant, insatiable, cancerous financial growth.  And then!  Who know what will emerge?  They say the future is already here, just not evenly distributed yet :)

Thanksgiving Gratitude

In my personal journal I was writing about what I’m most grateful for, thought I’d share (not ordered).

- Access to water (clean, hot/cold, on demand)

- Quiet space for regular work, meditation, reflection

- Access to healthy, natural food

- Access to clean air and regular sunlight

- Being connected to truly values-aligned individuals that I can learn from and serve in small ways

- Ability to do physical exercise

- Access to information to understand others, the world, the universe

- Inkling that it is possible for happiness to be had without any of the aforementioned points

Taken together, the list above makes me feel ridiculously rich :)

Buddha’s words (as sung by SN Goenka)

This are the words of Gautama the Buddha upon enlightenment, and sung/chanted by SN Goenka (until 4:00, after which it switches).  The language is Pali, which was colloquial at the time.  Beautiful.

Uppajjitva nirujjhanti, (2x)
tesam vupasamo sukho.

When past sensations arise and are met with awareness/equanimity,
their cessation brings true happiness.

Aneka-jati samsaram
sandhavissam anibbisam,

Through countless births in the cycle of existence
I have run, in vain

Gahakarakam gavesanto
dukkha-jati-punappunam.

seeking the builder of this house;
and again and again I faced the discomfort of new birth.

 

Gahakaraka! Dithosi,
puna geham na kahasi.

Oh housebuilder! Now you are seen.
You shall not build a house again for me.

 

Sabba te phasuka bhagga,
gahakutam visankhitam.

All your beams are broken,
the ridgepole is shattered.

Visankhara-gatam cittam,
tanhanam khayamajjhaga.

The mind has become freed from conditioning;
the end of craving has been reached.

Sabbe sankhara anicca'ti.
yada pannaya passati,

Impermanent are all compounded things.
When one perceives this with insight,

Atha nibbindati dukkhe.
esa maggo visuddhiya.

then one turns away from suffering;
this is the path of purification.

 

Sabbesu cakkavajesu
yakkha deva ca brahmano,

May the holy entities
of all the universes

Yam amhehi katam punnam,
sabba sampatti sadhikam.

rejoice in this wholesome meditation process performed by us,
which is productive of all happiness.

Sabbe tam anumoditva,
samagga sasane rata,

May they all,
unitedly devoted to the teaching,

pamada rahita hontu
arakkhasu visesato.

be without negligence,
especially in giving protection.

 

Punna bhagamidam c'annam,
samam dadama karitam.

We share with all equally the merit
of this meditation and other wholesome deeds.

Anumodantu tam sabbe,
medini thatu sakkhike.

May they all accept with joy our sharing,
and may the earth stand witness to it!

If you could change places with anyone…

Personal experience of how, over time, I’ve answered the question ‘if you could trade places with anyone, who would it be?’

Initially, the answer was a celebrity of some sort, sports, music, actor, etc.  Then, it was someone rich/powerful, like a businessman (Gates) or politician (President).  More recently it was a highly ‘cultivated’ person, like a spiritual or religious leader (my favorite was Rev. Heng Sure).  Now, I wouldn’t want to trade places with anyone at all – but most interesting to me about that answer is the ‘why’.

My initial answer was due to the sense that attention or popularity was a source of happiness, so those that had tons of it were certainly worthy of switching places with. 

Then, my feeling was that happiness and leading a worthy life actually comes from changing the world for the better – and of course the more leveraged one was (having money or power), the more one could do this. 

Next came the belief that a worthy life is actually one that is free from mental imbalance (which by consequence would change the world for the better anyways), and so certainly it would be desirable to switch places with a very balanced person. 

Now, my feeling is that its not that mental balance is desirable, but that the process of moving towards awareness and equanimity is beautiful.  Reason being that my process is uniquely my own, tailor made to help me understand my own blockages.  To be free from that process doesn’t free the blockages – I actually need every experience that comes my way.  Every moment the process continues is a beautiful moment :)

On semi-related point, I read a wonderful quote by Jack Kornfield recently – “There are many writings on spiritual paths, and not one of them speaks the truth, for the truth cannot be spoken anyways.  Such writings are spiritual garbage in many ways.  However, eggshells and grapefruit rinds do indicate that somewhere near by there has been nourishment” :)

Happy day!