h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've written earlier about how the solutions to humanity's most pressing present problems can't all come from science or from politics, but have to come from culture. A very big reason for why we are in a fix, is because we have false visions of prosperity. Specifically, our ideas of what it means to be prosperous, are overly materialistic. These visions foster greed and exploitation under which humanity and the living planet Earth are burdened. And not only that … this kind of prosperity is ultimately hollow and does not truly satisfy. It is indeed a chase after happiness, but with happiness always out of reach. In the meantime, true happiness can actually be had, not merely sought … and it can be had, at much less expense.

Let us look at the mainstream, materialist conception of prosperity. It revolves around money, power, possessions, and leisure for having 'fun'. A prosperous person is someone who is rich; lives in a fine house or even a mansion; has a fast and flashy car – or several fast and flashy cars; has a boat or a yacht, or even a private plane; is able to enjoy fine wines and champagne, and eats fine foods; wears expensive suits and other clothes; has lots of lovers; has lots of leisure time to do things like traveling the world, gambling in casinos, or whatever else he or she is into; or even to be famous, to be instantly recognized, to have thousands or millions of people listening when you speak, to have as many people admiring or envying you or aspiring to be like you. This is the image of prosperity that dominates 'western' society. Indeed this image of prosperity can be seen to DEFINE 'western' society. It is spread into all corners of the world by the media, so that in Africa, Asia and South America, the same ideas, ideals and images take hold … everyone starts to believe in this image of what it means to be prosperous. It becomes everyone's personal mission to realize as much of that kind of prosperity in their lives as they possibly can.

And the entire world is currently groaning and creaking under the strain of all this, and coming apart at the seams. So many people want this, so few can have this. And what's worse … the ones who have this, can only have it at the expense of the ones who don't. And what's worst of all … it is an empty kind of prosperity. It doesn't satisfy deep down, because deep down any person who is honest with him or herself, will realize that these are trappings, external things, just glitter on the surface. You can have all those things and still be a fundamentally deeply unhappy person, riddled with insecurities, unable to have meaningful relationships with other people, and unable to even fully appreciate the material prosperity you have, instead always wanting for more, more and more still. If you were indeed able to be satisfied with less, and purposely held back from gaining every material benefit possible, then you would indeed already have been a rebel against the mainstream prosperity cult. But the wealthy are not such rebels; they're not able to see the hollowness of the mainstream materialist prosperity dream. They get caught up in it and they themselves become defined by it. It defines their entire sense of self-worth, top to bottom. They are indeed its slaves. And along the way they enslave all the rest of us as well. To try to exist today in this world, you need to buy into the whole prosperity dream. You have to believe that money is all-important and to spend almost every waking moment trying to get more of it.

Can you see that this is actually a bad, bad thing? Most people can't. Most people take things for granted. But it needn't be this way. There are indeed different ways to conceive of prosperity, and ways that are actually much more satisfying and far less ruinous … indeed, ideally not ruinous at all. Let's look at one.

This is my own alternative vision of prosperity. To be truly prosperous is to exist in a state of peace and harmony. Peace and harmony with yourself, with other people, and with your surrounding world. Materially, it means having enough … enough food, enough material comfort to allow for a meaningful existence. Not always comfort though … there have to be some hardship, some challenges to spur you on. Sometimes you might eschew your personal comfort for the sake of helping out others. But to be prosperous is indeed to be valuable to others. It is to really use your own talents, your own interests and passions, to the benefit of other people and society. Prosperity is to be appreciated and also to be able to appreciate. Prosperity is gentleness, self-discipline, responsibility, creativity. Prosperity is giving more than you receive. It is to be able to say that you didn't gain anything you had, at anyone else's expense. It is having a clear conscience. Prosperity is living in a healthy environment. It is having the freedom to roam the surface of Planet Earth, taking in its beauties and wonders. Not in a yacht or in an airplane … you can appreciate so much more on foot. Prosperity is having a sense of connection with the land, with the wild Earth. Globally, prosperity is to have the Earth still functioning as a living, integral ecological whole. It is humanity existing in true harmony with all the other living species, plants, animals, all. It means not impoverishing the biodiversity of the planet, not compromising its ecological integrity in any way. Prosperity means having a sense of connection with the other living things. It means understanding that they are our kin and potentially our friends. Prosperity means not exploiting our non-human kin as mere 'resources', but understanding that they, too, have legitimate interests and a claim to their own lives on this planet. Prosperity means that they should prosper, too. It means that we should find joy in them, for their beauty, for their weirdness and wonder, for all the things we can learn of them, and from them, and for our kinship with them. Prosperity means knowledge, starting with self-knowledge, but also knowledge about the incredible world and universe we are in. Prosperity means honesty … being honest with yourself, and with others, and being able to trust others. Prosperity means having richly rewarding relationships of various kinds with other people. Prosperity means having a rich imagination and the opportunity to contribute creatively to society, to make beautiful as well as needful things – but not too many things. It means having enough, and being satisfied with enough. It means finding contentment in the essence of existence, rather than endlessly chasing mirages and false promises.

So … there's something to begin with. What do you think? I'll be working constantly to develop and refine these ideas. In trying to change the world for the better, I as an artist and writer will do what I can to send such 'alternative' images of what it means to be prosperous, what 'the good life' means, out into the world. There are of course other visions of prosperity that are also legitimate and that may also help steer the world away from the ruinous present money-and-power-worshiping cult. Let them come!

Willem, I think this author is talking about our interactivity and what needs to be done to change ourselves and stop hurting the planet and fellow citizens:

http://longreads.com/2018/04/24/earning-our-place-on-the-planet-an-interview-with-adrienne-maree-brown/

Hi Elektra! Thanks a lot, that was an interesting read. Yes we need more people to be thinking along these lines!

You have given this matter a lot of thought Willem and you are on the right track.
Very interesting and thought prvoking, something needs to be done soon keep up the good work

Hi Bob, thanks for the kind comment! I'll post more essays soon ...