Recession could be a blessing

We may be heading for a deep recession, even a depression of economic activity. Most commentators see this as an unmitigated disaster. It could be a disaster, if we keep thinking the same things and trying to do the same things, but it could be a great opportunity too.

Life BR (before recession) has some problems. Many people are working too hard, not enjoying it a lot, anxious to have the latest things to bolster their self-esteem and have very little time to be, think, hang out, relax, go for a walk and even (shock horror) waste time now and then. Life really is not much fun! Even children have their lives filled with organised activities, after school classes etc. The amount of time they have to play is going down every year. Because of the drive to get and spend, often on artificially created "wants", "economic" growth has continued. It's not made us happier. It has caused environmental damage, loss of species, degradation of water, pollution, global warming and the obliteration of rich indigenous cultures. "Economy" means taking care - we don't have an economy, we have a profligacy.

It is making more and more people wonder if there is a better way. I don't know if there is a better way, but I do know that in order to find one, we have to take time to think and talk and listen to each other. A recession could provide us the opportunity to do just that. It is a least possible this time that rather than having some people completely unemployed and some fully or overfully employed, we might have almost everybody working less and being paid a bit less. The space that this creates might make it possible for people to connect, co-operate, share resources. We could get to know each other better, build communities, have inexpensive fun. Parents who had been trying to juggle very full time work might have a bit more time playing with their children. Happier children leads directly to less crime.

Even our health could improve. Many illnesses are either caused by stress or made worse by stress. Having a bit more time might reduce this. People might choose to eat more vegetables and less meat because vegetables are cheaper. They are also healthier.

When people share stories about times when they have been happy they talk about simple experiences, like a sunset, or a funny thing their two year old said, or a walk in the woods on a gift of a day. None of these are material things. Perhaps if we have the challenge of having less, we may seek these simple pleasures and discover they are more longlasting than acquiring the latest fashionable toy.

These times do give us the opportunity to think about what is truly important to us and to help shape the world to be the way we want it. It's really up to us.