The whole story:
Life, Money
and Illusion
Fixing the Narrative
A simple tool for easing the climate crisis:
(To acquirine stickers see the bottom of this article.)
Keep the economy growing and all will be well — or so the old story goes.
This is absurd !
Getting bigger is the problem. Resource depletion and pollution, including carbon dioxide, all result from the scale of human activity.
Einstein said "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
Thinking that making ever more money will save us, won’t work. We have to think about effective ways to integrate with our planet’s ecosystems.
In the new story, we are sustained by managing nutrient cycles powered by the Sun*. Upon this material foundation we need a culture that gains fulfillment from our human potential, rather than from industrial consumer products.
In Getting From Here to There, I point out that life-based activities — relationships, appreciation, service, learning, sport, music, dance and other creative activities provide fulfillment in abundance. When one finds satisfaction in such activities, most consumer goods feel like a waste of natural resources, time, space and money.
A culture focused on life’s potentials rather than on material consumption would produce a lot less carbon, and the shift is something that anyone can do. It doesn’t require organizing political power or having lots of money. Indeed, it would save money for participants.
For today’s narrative spin, life-based activities can be referred to with the single word: “fun”, because they uplift those involved.
Hence “More Fun, Less Stuff” encapsulates the new narrative.
When people see or hear “More Fun, Less Stuff”, the intent is clear. It is memorable, particularly if they come across it more than once. Toward this end, along with whatever verbal mention you might bring up in conversations, these bumper stickers can be attached to cars** and placed in other eye-catching locations.
Acquiring a sticker(s):
We’d be happy to mail one or more for free, if you have good places to display them. Your help getting this meme out where people can see it is the point of this project. Ask here.
We’d also be happy if you were to cover the five dollar cost of a sticker, envelope and postage.
Donations beyond basic costs are also appreciated as they help us continue to send out free stickers and to maintain the office equipment and other expenses that sustain this 7th Generation Initiative.
Memes guide cultural evolution in a similar way to how genes guide biological evolution. By establishing "More Fun, Less Stuff" in the collective consciousness, we will take a step away from planetary overshoot and toward sustainability.
Anticipating your cooperation,
Yours, Mike Nickerson
* The essence of full cycle nutrient management is presented after the 42-minute point here. https://tinyurl.com/v27zbb5c
** Note the irony of putting these stickers on cars. Nevertheless, cars get around and if the meme follows them, it will be seen in a lot of places.
