Marc Stamos

I just received an email from a person I respect, on behalf of a very well intentioned group of people trying to spark global change. So why am I so disappointed? It all has to do with marketing. Or, more specifically, branding.

The thrust of the email I received revolved around the following paragraph:

The essential question: As a species, now that our biggest problems result from our size, is it still appropriate to hold growth as a primary goal [refering to "growth of the economy"]? Or do we accept that we have reached a mature size and now need to re-direct decision-making toward the goal of long-term well- being? It is a question of direction.

My problem is that I agree with 98% of what this group is getting at. I agree with their sense of urgency and the scope of transformation required. I even agree we need to change direction and that “long-term well-being” would be one fantastic result of our efforts.

The 2% disagreement, and the source of much frustration, is in the way many praiseworthy people frame their vision. Being against “growth” means needlessly going against the grain–in this case long held mindsets, and perhaps even human nature itself. And it certainly goes against mother nature, which has grown healthy abundance for over 4 billion years.The concepts of “growth” and “more” excite people. Growth itself is a beautiful concept with many powerfully positive connotations: Trees grow. People grow. Food grows. Likewise, few people actively strive for “less”. Both “growth” and “more” reach us at a visceral level. Mainstream businesses and political entities understand this when they make branding decisions.The fact that the word “growth” has been used to describe expanding a flawed paradigm does not mean that “growth is bad”. The problem is not with the word / concept of “growth”. The problem is with the paradigm and with what parameters we choose to measure this paradigm’s success. So, instead of being against growth—and going against the grain—why don’t we focus on “growing” a world we wish to see. Let’s focus on what this would look like, and how we can bring it about. Then perhaps we could increase (ie: grow) “well-being” as a measurement of our success in designing and implementing this new paradigm.The question is not “Growth or No Growth?”, but rather “What do we want to grow?”(William McDonough taught me this)