Gregg Easterbrook's 2003 book "The Progress Paradox" reminds us that our happiness should be increasing! We should feel gratitude to be part of the luckiest 1% of humans to have ever walked the earth. We should practice forgiveness to be happier.
We are transitioning to a Type 1 civilization and must leave our nationalistic, racial, fundamentalist, sectarian passions behind. The idea of caring about people you don't know is a relatively new concept.
The next steps for a happier US include:
Universal health care, a raise in minimum wage, and end to the wealthy ripping us off.
Worldwide, we must provide economic aid to continue to bring up living standards globally. Our country should not be selfish.
What gives us meaning?
Love, work, fulfilling our talents, and leaving the place better than you found it.
Easterbrook suggests that more intelligent people cope better with change.
One connection that I will make about universal health care is the criticality of moving from a fix model to a prevention model. One of the keys there is changing diets. If we could all eat affordable local, sustainable, organic whole foods instead of the crap that most people eat, one in three health care dollars would go away. It would also be good for the planet and maybe we could have a real food culture in America instead of these crazy fast food supersized meals.
Ironically, the industrial food complex is built on subsidies from taxpayer money or food would not be so cheap. We don’t buy the cheapest pair of tennis shoes or jeans but expect our food to sell at cut-rate prices. In the long run, local sustainable food might be much cheaper overall. But our system is rigged.
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