We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Would the West actually be happier with less? The world downscaled

by Serge Latouche whom the above writer quoted.  I looked him up and found this excellent article from 2003. His thesis apparently influenced Valencia’s thinking: “Maybe we need to aim to create a society that is based on quality not quantity, on cooperation and not competition.”