I read with interest this post on the monbiot blog I’ve recently discovered about an interview with Lord Turner in the Guardian. Lord Turner is the head of the Financial Services Authority and is quoted as saying: “All the evidence shows that beyond the sort of standard of living which Britain has now achieved, extra growth does not automatically translate into human welfare and happiness.”
For the last 50 odd years we all appear to have been enslaved to the view that the only true measure of success is growth. Growth of individual companies, the stock market, the economy is taken to mean growth in our standard of living and our happiness. In the last 20 years it has become increasingly obvious that once you get to a certain level, this isn’t so. One can only consume so much.
On a small scale, I had become aware that something was out of kilter in my own life. I run a local networking group for women (WIRE – Women in Rural Enterprises). All the literature and emphasis of the national bodies tend to focus on conditions for growth of small businesses. But speaking to a great many owners of small businesses, most simply want to achive a certain level and stay there, or maintain the perfect level they have already attained. Many don’t want to employ staff: they just want to take people on contract when they need them. Growth beyond a specific point simply means that they no longer have time for their family or the rest of their life, and why would they consider trading this for money they don’t actually need and can’t actually spend, because they no longer have the time.
In yours2share world, the increase in sharing and private syndicates is further evidence that people are shifting from the long held view that ownership is king. People are starting to consider only buying what they need. At the same time, many syndicate owners also get to own part of a better asset than they would enjoy if they bought outright. As sharing becomes more established, people will also realise that the community of like-minded syndicate partners is a further benefit.
I think that once you have reached the standard of living that Britain has now achived, the route to greater human welfare and happiness is about strengthening communities and environmental harmony. Sharing has a role in this.