What is Your Vision for the Next Economy?
We asked some of our friends at Small Giants Academy, “What is your vision for the next economy?” Here’s what they had to say….
(Illustrations by the very talented Joana Partyka.)
CHARLES EISENSTEIN
“I can’t say that I have a full-on vision for the next economy but I do get little glimpses of it. Enough to know that it will be based on generosity, gratitude and service rather than accumulation and control of resources. That it will encourage us to do the things that serve the health and wellbeing of the planet, of our places and of other people, rather than bribing us to not listen to our heart’s desire to do those things and to have to always make compromises. It’ll be aligned with the things that we find sacred and beautiful in the world. And I also know that this is not just a fantasy or a pipe dream, but that there are economic steps that we can take as a society and as individuals to create that future. Things like debt cancellation to name one. The relief of the debt burden that keeps almost everybody in the matrix whether they want to be or not.”
Charles is a public speaker, gift economy advocate, and the author of several books on ecology and interbeing. He lives in North Carolina, USA.
HELENA NORBERG-HODGE
“If humanity is to survive we have got to base the next economy on life. That means diversity, the fundamental principle of life. The economy we have today is a monoculture imposed across the world, a consumer monoculture consisting of mega corporations, mega technological systems. The next economy needs to be economies, plural. Decentralisation, localisation, adapting our businesses to places, to cultures and ecosystems around the world. Restoring and regenerating the rich biodiversity, the rich human individual identities and cultures around this planet. It’s already beginning to happen. From the bottom up there’s a rich and very inspiring localisation movement. Let’s join it now.”
Helena is founder and director of Local Futures. She lives in Byron Bay, Australia.
MICHELLE LONG
“For me the question is really more about who are we becoming? Because our economy will be a reflection of that. Of who we are, of what we believe and of what we value. That’s the big question of this time. Remembering the essence of our humanity, the fact that each of us have soul gifts to bring that aren’t strengths that we might learn in business school but are actually the gifts that are ours innately and must be shared in order for our lives to have meaning. It’s about cultivating our ability to connect with others and to see their soul gifts, to actually have curiosity and remember that natural affection that we have for each other and the joy that we have from community.”
Michelle is founder of Jubilee, an investment platform for building Beautiful Portfolios that are catalytic in healing the Earth. She lives in Berkeley, USA.
DAN ARIELY
“I think we somehow need to get over the ownership obsession we have. There’s actually a really interesting historical analysis that said before the agriculture revolution we lived in groups. And when we lived in groups we didn’t really care so much about whose property was whose. The group was the important unit. Then when the agriculture revolution came, all of a sudden property became important. And we had lines for my property and your property, and my kids were getting mine and your kids were getting yours and so on. And we started caring a lot about property. I think as long as we stay in this belief system that came from the agriculture revolution where life is a matter of ‘I have my things and your things and it’s not about welfare, it’s not about contribution,’ we’re going to get stuck in a suboptimal world.”
Dan is a Professor of Psychology and Behavioural Economics at Duke University, and the author of several books on motivation and irrationality. He lives in Tel Aviv, Israel.
VANDANA SHIVA
“The economy based on greed and on fossil fuels and toxic chemicals is an economy that is not an economy. Because economy is supposed to be the management of a household as derived from point cost. The next economy has to be about life, about our planet, about creativity and meaning for all. The last person, the last being. The next economy will put creative work at the centre, not destruction of work as efficiency. It will put caring for the world and rejuvenating the earth at the centre, not the destruction of resources and their privatisation. The next economy will be an earth democracy based on living ecologies where every being, every person participates in the creation of the common good.”
Vandana is a scholar, environmental activist, food sovereignty advocate and anti-globalisation author. She lives in Delhi, India.
DAMON GAMEAU
“My vision of the economy for the future is one that is far more regenerative in its design. One that is more aware of resource use, how it affects the planet and also how our society functions. How is the health of our population? I think at the moment the metrics that we define our success by and guide us are far too narrow. They’re just based around finance or GDP. I think we need to broaden those metrics considerably to bring more visibility into the things that really matter to us.”
Damon is a climate activist and documentary filmmaker whose most recent work, 2040, paints a powerful vision of the future. He lives in Byron Bay, Australia.