Over the past few a thought occurs frequently that scares the hell out of me: What if the nations of the so-called ‘developed world’ adopted exactly the lifestyle we have been striving for here in the northern hemisphere? What if every single person in China, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan and Brasil actually succeeded in ‘living the American dream’ we have been so blatantly pedding?
Of all the ideologies and religions ever created by us, GDP-driven capitalism has turned out to be the deadliest because it is so easy for us to believe that the so-called ‘free market economy’ in combination with a so-called ‘democracy’ is the best system. It is not obvious at all that in the long run the American dream is more detrimental than a war.
So, what is the alternative to the fairytales of perpetual economic growth? Very simple: What exactly is degrowth?