More is not better for our world or our lives; "Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future"

"All that material progress—and all the billions of barrels of oil and millions of acres of trees that it took to create it—seems not to have moved the satisfaction meter an inch. It’s as if we’ve done an experiment in whether consumption produces happiness and determined that it doesn’t."

These are the words of author Bill McKibben, the Harvard-trained economist and activist who has spent a career addressing topics such as overpopulation and global warming. McKibben's latest book is called "Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future" and addresses the negative consequences of our growth-oriented economy.

This is where McKibben's macro "unrestrained growth kill ultimately be our downfall" mantra intersects with the latest research being done on human happiness.

From an AARP review of the book:

In the past decade the burgeoning field of happiness studies has overturned many of our basic assumptions about where satisfaction comes from, how long it lasts, and where we should focus our energy. The results of our choices are not as life-changing as we think they’ll be (the novelty passes; the credit card bills remain), and many of capitalism’s long-standing assumptions—that acquisitions improve our lives—turn out to be a load of hooey.

Now growth can be good for happiness, and possibly a critical component. But it is not the growth of our houses or possessions. It is personal growth. As Happiness Project Gretchen Rubin says:

To feel happy, it’s not enough to have fun with your friends, and not feel guilty about yelling all the time, and feel like you’re working in the right job; you also need to feel growth—a sense of learning, of betterment, of advancement, of contributing to the growth of others.

This is a case of where what is good for the person is good for the community. Combining the lessons of McKibben and the observations of Rubin, we see that a focus on what makes us really happy versus "what-we-think-will-but-really-won't" might just be what the world needs.

Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future