The Greatest Threat To Western Civilization

Just what the establishment does NOT want - you to be satisfied

People living slower, saner, simple lives tend to be happier. Happy people spend less and buy fewer things. Will that ruin the economy, cripple global consumerism, and end civilization and the establishment as we know it?

The establishment is afraid of talk of living better lives without their stuff. What if even a small percent of people who could buy more stuff didn't. What if we kept our money in our pockets and retail sales fell by 30%? Mayhem, investor panic, and massive change. The mighty would fall.

Would it be the end of global consumerism, of civilization itself? The short answer is, "Who cares?" Perhaps we would be doing all of humanity, and our planet, a big favour  by ending this sick thing before it is too late.

What about a kinder, more compassionate capitalism? Uh, ya, right. "When people talk about greedy capitalists, that's redundant," says Noam Chomsky. "You have to be a greedy capitalist or you're out of business. In fact, it's a legal requirement that you be a greedy capitalist and that you don't pay attention to what happens to anyone else."

But what if alternatives to capitalistic greed and destruction don't work? Well, capitalistic greed and destruction are not going so well either - they are hardly looking like viable alternatives at this point.

The Euro-zone has been threatening economic collapse for months, recent US jobs data has been dismal, there is a massive extinction event happening, global climate change is bashing us with catastrophic storms, and extreme inequality means that billions of our brothers and sisters are not able to meet their basic needs. That doesn't sound like a system that is working. Not for most of us, that is.

Rampant crony capitalism has already subverted western civilization. It is the greatest threat to civilization, not our contentedness and happiness through turning our backs on consumerism.

We have the ability to unleash the power of simplicity, the slayer of corruption and imperialism, and the destroyer of sick, excessive civilizations. Let us live simply, be happier, and see what happens.