The Paradox
The paradox of our time in history is that we
Have tall buildings, but shorter tempers, wider
freeways but narrower viewpoints, we spend more
but have less, we buy more but enjoy it less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families, more
conveniences, but less time, we have more degrees
but less sense, more knowledge but less judgement,
more experts but more problems, more medicine
but less good health.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced
our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and
hate too often. We learned how to make a living,
but not a life. We've added years to life but not
life to years. We've been all the way to the moon
and back, but have trouble crossing the street to
meet the new neighbour. We've conquered outer
space but not inner space, we've cleaned up the
atmosphere but polluted the soul, we've split the
atom, but not our prejudice, we have higher
incomes, but lower morals, we've become long on
quantity but short on quality. . >
These are the times of tall men and short
character, steep profits, and shallow relationships.
These are the times of world peace, but domestic
warfare, more leisure, but less fun, more kinds of
food, but less nutrition;
These are the days of two incomes, but more
divorces, of fancier houses but broken homes.
Dr. Bob Moorehead
Other stuff
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"It may be better for the Earth and humanity's future that economic collapse comes sooner rather than later, while more ecosystems and opportunities to return to nature's fold exist. Economic collapse will be deeply wrenching -- part Great Depression, part African famine. There will be starvation and civil strife, and a long period of suffering and turmoil. Many will be killed as balance returns to the Earth. Most people have forgotten how to grow food and that their identity is more than what they own. Yet there is some justice, in that those who have lived most lightly upon the land will have an easier time of it, even as those super-consumers living in massive cities finally learn where their food comes from and that ecology is the meaning of life. Economic collapse now means humanity and the Earth ultimately survive to prosper again. Human suffering -- already the norm for many, but hitting the currently materially affluent -- is inevitable given the degree to which the planet's carrying capacity has been exceeded. We are a couple decades at most away from societal strife of a much greater magnitude as the Earth's biosphere fails. Humanity can take the bitter medicine now, and recover while emerging better for it; or our total collapse can be a final, fatal death swoon." - Dr. Glen Barry -- Taken from Economic Collapse and Global Ecology