Economic Recovery, cont’d

I suggested in a recent posting that whenever you hear the words “economic recovery,” you should think of two meanings:

Economic Recovery 1: Getting things back to the way they were before our current economic crisis

Economic Recovery 2: Facing our addictions and seeking to be restored to sanity.

Then I mentioned six specific addictions:
1. Our addiction to fossil fuels. If you want to get a feel for what this means, spend less than 8 minutes watching this:

And then check out the two subsequent videos for more info …
2. Our addiction to weapons. Many of the people who worry about big government don’t seem to worry about “big military,” but consider these words from Republican President (and General) Dwight Eisenhower:

3. Our addiction to fear. Fear raises money and votes like nothing else …
4. Our addiction to consumption (more stuff, never enough) … living beyond our means. More on this here.
5. Our addiction to a single bottom line. More on this here.
6. Our addiction to easy answers. It’s so nice when a complex world can be addressed – without thinking – by a few simple ideological slogans. After all, thinking is hard work and sometimes leads to uncomfortable discoveries.
I’d like to mention two more addictions that have come to mind.
7. Our addiction to debt. More here …

8. Our addiction to bigger, more, faster … This was a key theme of my book Everything Must Change
In an upcoming post, I’d like to imagine what a recovery program might look like for some or all of these addictions …