Page 31 - ELITE PLUS MAGAZINE VOL10

Hundreds“of years of exploiting nature for human greed cannot be continued. Lifestyles need to change and consumer patterns altered. A life with less consumption yet higher quality is desirable and possible ”they live in, especially media literacy so as not to fall victim to consumer society. They will have a stronger sense of community, looking after each other with compassion and deep human relations and cultural integrity. On top of all these they will actively preserve the natural environment that sustains their livelihood and the well-being of the planet.Responsible corporations should also look on consumers not just as clients to sell products to and make a profit from. Using advertising to lure them to consume more should not be the name of the game. They are our brothers and sisters whose well-being is a corporate responsibility. Finite resources will not allow humanity to indefinitely overproduce, over- consume and wantonly throw stuff away. The “American dream” is a path to endless economic growth leading to a Mad Max scenario.New measurements for the health and well-being of a society beyond GDP are badly needed. Bhutan has started GNH: gross national happiness. The New Economics Foundation in the UK has proposed a Happy Planet Index.At the same time, we need to do away with the concept of developed, developing and underdeveloped countries. A newly opened country like Myanmar can have a healthier quality of life than the US. A country doesn’t have to increase its GDP endlessly like a corporation. Bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better, faster or higher.Smaller, slower, narrower, more local, shorter and closer can be a better fit for a more human scale, and be more wholesome. Climate studies confirm we cannot continue to burn fossil fuel at current rates; more than half of the fossil fuel alreadydiscovered cannot be used if we want to keep global temperatures rising at a slower, safer rate.Nature is not just resources for production; it is something sacred. We need to care for and respect nature. Hundreds of years of exploiting nature for human greed cannot be continued. Lifestyles need to change and consumer patterns altered. A life with less consumption yet higher quality is desirable and possible.This is not just a dream. Countless initiatives around the globe are operating with this new way of thinking and ethos, both in modern and traditional sectors, in southern and northern countries, and should be heeded and encouraged.Elite+ 29