Growth - Good or Evil?

One of the most common pursuits of every individual & society is growth. Everyone desires that one should gain in life in terms of wealth, income, possessions etc. We want to be richer than we are and all our pursuits are directed towards that aspiration. We also evaluate people, corporations & societies in terms of how they are growing.

This quest for growth comes with a steady feeling of dissatisfaction with the present circumstances and a strong desire to be bigger, better etc. In this quest for growth, we end up seeking or acquiring bigger houses, bigger vehicles, consuming more expensive articles etc. Some of us even pretend thus to make an impression.

What we do not realise is that the resources of this world are limited. If each of us a propelled by this quest for growth, we are in effect consuming more and more of the limited resources. In a way, we are depriving the less privileged by making things more expensive for them. We are also not leaving much for our future generations.

This is one thing that we need to learn from animals. They only consume as much as necessary to satisfy their immediate requirement. They usually do not store or save something for future - and certainly never for future generations.

Clearly this mad chase of growth is leading the world into a downward spiral. The global warming and destruction of habitats are all clear examples of this. It is time we redefine our priorities. It is time we realise that dissatisfaction is the wrong driver to be used. Lets change that to satisfaction and restate the real meaning of growth.