Japan's younger generation is turning away from car ownership. The automotive industry calls it `kuruma banare", roughly translated as "demotorization".
The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association predicts auto sales in Japan will fall to 4.86 million in 2009 – the first time below five million in more than three decades. This year, sales are projected at 5.11 million, the worst since 1980.
Could this ever happen in North America? Well, we can dream, can't we?
Many people must view my stated aim to "promote a Post-Carbon World, where we are learning to consume less, while enjoying life more" as akin to promoting economic Armageddon. For those who believe that humanity should forever expect to produce and consume more it must seem heretical to propose that we need to consider ways to enjoy life by consuming less. It can seem particularly galling to people who are becoming unemployed during this economic slowdown.
The history of my anti-consumerist slant goes back decades. I first started to shy away from the "buy-buy-buy" mentality of Christmas during the early seventies as I finished university. A self-described "hippie" at the time, I turned to making gifts rather than buying them. At the same time I started my still held practice of shopping at thrift stores such as the Salvation Army for clothes and other items whenever possible. I took on the "Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle" mantra long before it was embraced by the corporate world.
I expect I was viewed as eccentric by many of my friends and family, but, the concept worked for me. It wasn't until much later, just over the past few years, that I began to fully grasp the extent to which humanity's promotion of a collectively wasteful lifestyle of over consumption was destroying our planet. I realized that we were, quite literally, consuming ourselves. Much more than fouling our nest, we were eating it whole, and burning the refuse without a thought to cleaning up after ourselves. Ever increasing growth in world wide consumption levels of goods and energy was not a sustainable option. In the words of Kenneth Boulding: Anyone who believes exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world is either a madman or an economist.
I saw the world as being on a drunken binge of over consumption fueled by the promotion of greed. Fueled by the greed of those who already owned and consumed far in excess of their fair share and told us that we too could dream of unending riches. The ultimate Ponzi scheme. As the American economy lurched toward recession a couple of years ago, George W. Bush urged Americans to go shopping.
Like sheep being herded to slaughter, Americans took the advice of their President, borrowed against their homes, and went ever deeper into debt.
This never was a situation that we could simply shop our way out of. It was the encouragement of irresponsible spending and taking of debt that exacerbated an already shaky world economy. As Dan Gardner at the Ottawa Citizen recently pointed out, "this is going to hurt and hurt some more." We aren't in Kansas anymore, and closing our eyes, clicking our heels together and wishing we were elsewhere will not get us out of this mess.
For my part, for several years now, I have endeavoured to rein in my over consumptive ways and expectations, in preparation for what I saw as the ultimate crash. I felt that it would be a necessary life lesson to be "learning to consume less, while enjoying life more. " (I guess I wanted to be ahead of the curve on at least one thing.) Seriously, though, believing in ever increasing material riches and consumption simply seemed such an empty pursuit. I have sought to replace it with an appreciation of the more intangible yet just as real riches that I am surrounded by. These include family, friends, and, fortunately, good health. I live in a part of the planet that is peaceful, where citizens enjoy freedom of conscience. Of course, there is always room for improvement, but, when I look around the world, I am very grateful for where I happen to live.
Unfortunately, it appears that restructuring is being forced upon us. It is very painful for so many people to have their dreams of undulating wealth into retirement smashed on the rocks of this current economic shipwreck. People have seen retirement investments vanish, and those dreams of unending travel and leisure vanish with them. What to do?
It may seem ephemeral, and of little solace during these very difficult times, but, I urge everyone to consider the possibility that forever pursuing material consumption really is a trap. It traps us not only financially, but spiritually. Humans, apparently, are the only creatures on the planet to excessively consume beyond their need. We readily allow ourselves to be manipulated into having our whimsical desires transformed into wants and then into needs. We need to step back, and take a breath, and appreciate.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, to all. In the words of my good friend Paul, received in email earlier today,
It was only a few days ago that I decided to sign up for "Twitter", primarily so I could learn more about it. Didn't really know why people would want to know what I was doing "right now", but I dove in. I then learned that I could "follow" others. This lead me to receiving twitter feeds from people such as Nora Young, host of the CBC Radio One show Spark, and Steve Paikin at "The Agenda" on TVO.
The above link, which I received only an hour or so ago, (via Twitter), takes you to an interview Nora did with Ethan Zuckerman that will air on January 7. Well worth listening to. He speaks very well about the transformative age we live in and the opportunities that exist for building cross cultural bridges. Have a listen.
For the time being, Twitter, (and Spark!) are providing food for thought.
My decision to give up car ownership several years ago has required me to turn to other forms of transportation. For local travel I initially turned to cycling and walking, while carrying a strip of bus tickets in my wallet as backup. Since June, for several reasons, I have been using the local bus system more (known as OCTranspo here in Ottawa) , so I have purchased a bus pass, in conjunction with membership in a car sharing organization, vrtucar. So far so good, until, a week ago, within hours of the city being hit by its first major snowstorm, and in the midst of the already increased traffic generated by the holiday season, the bus drivers went on strike.
I now recognize the extent to which I had become dependent on OCTranspo for my sense of freedom. Over this past six months I have enjoyed the hop on hop off freedom that a bus pass provides. Now, my world feels a little bit smaller.
So much of this sense of a "smaller" world though, can be attributed to the expansive landscape that I have come to assume to be my rightful place on the planet. Back at the turn of the last century people shopped and socialized locally because, well, there really were no other options. Britannia Bay (part of what is now western Ottawa), was considered a summer retreat area because people went there seasonally, for recreation. It was not part of the daily commute of the masses.
Historic street scenes, as shown below in this 1900 photo of Mulberry Street in Little Italy, New York, inevitably show cities teeming with people who had everything they needed within walking distance.
Similar scenes can be observed in modern day European cities where the streetscape came before the automobile, as shown below in Dublin Ireland in 2003.
But, here in North America, this is what we contend with daily. Not a human being to be seen, yet so much activity over such a wide area.
Several years ago, as our community of Overbrook wrestled with yet another public school closure and its conversion into an upscale private school (tuition $10,000+), much of the concern was about the traffic that would be generated. My comment was that I didn't mind visitors to the community, but I wished they didn't feel it necessary to bring two tons of metal with them every time they dropped in to bring their kids to school.
Our cities have become great car dumps. Is it any wonder we are so spread out? We don't have any room left for people.
As the cars whiz by, does anyone notice that the Newstand has closed? (One bare light bulb is left on, but, sadly, no one is home.) Less newspapers being published, less places needed to sell them.
The future of our news media is unfolding. What will be left in a couple of years? As James Surowiecki points out in this New Yorker article, strangely enough, it isn't that people are using print media less, in fact, they are using it more.
The difference is that today they don’t have to pay for it. The real problem for newspapers, in other words, isn’t the Internet; it’s us. We want access to everything, we want it now, and we want it for free. That’s a consumer’s dream, but eventually it’s going to collide with reality: if newspapers’ profits vanish, so will their product.
Fun(d)raising for YOUR Cause. Paying It Forward Together
From late August to early November, I plan to cycle over 3,000 kilometers from Niagara Falls, Ontario to Orlando, Florida. I want this journey to be a fun(d)raiser, for YOUR cause. Make a pledge of money or volunteer time, based on the distance I pedal to whatever cause makes your heart sing, send me the link, and I will list it below.
Understands the consequences of their consumption and is actively engaged in reducing its effect.
Commits to the goal of consuming no more than his or her fair share.
Knows that to do otherwise will lead to tragic consequences for life as we know it.
Seeks to appreciate the quality of the life they are given more than the quantity of what they have and experience.
Resources That Are Shaping My Views
In so many ways, we are the product of our experiences. Below are lists of Internet links, quotes, and readings that may provide insight into how I have reached some of my conclusions while simultaneously attempting to keep an open mind. (With thanks to Bertrand Russell and Buddha.)
Possession isn't nine-tenths of the law, it's nine-tenths of the problem. ~ John Lennon
Anyone who believes exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world is either a madman or an economist. ~ Kenneth Boulding
The steep ride up the and down the energy curve is the most abnormal thing that has ever happened in human history. Most of human history is a no-growth situation. Our culture is built on growth and that phase of human history is almost over and we are not prepared for it. Our biggest problem is not the end of our resources. That will be gradual. Our biggest problem is a cultural problem. We don't know how to cope with it. ~ M. King Hubbert Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants. ~ Epicurus
Three large spoonfuls of crude oil contain about the same amount of energy as eight hours of human manual labor. When we fill our car with gas, we're pouring into the tank the energy equivalent of about two years of human manual labor. ~ Thomas Homer Dixon Every corner of the public psyche is canvassed by some of the most talented citizens to see if the desire for some merchandisable product can be cultivated. ~ John Kenneth Galbraith
A man is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to leave alone. ~ Henry David Thoreau
There’s enough on this planet for everyone’s needs but not for everyone’s greed. ~ Mahatma Ghandi
What a man believes upon grossly insufficient evidence is an index into his desires — desires of which he himself is often unconscious. If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way. ~ Bertrand Russell, Proposed Roads to Freedom
The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it… Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate…. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; Only love can do that. ~ Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sometime, somewhere you take something to be the truth. If you cling to it so much, when the truth comes in person and knocks at your door, you will not open it. ~ Buddha
Guarding knowledge is not a good way to understand. Understanding means to throw away your knowledge. You have to be able to transcend your knowledge the way people climb a ladder. If you are on the fifth step of a ladder and think that you are very high, there is no hope for you to climb to the sixth. The technique is to release. The Buddhist way of understanding is always letting go of our views and knowledge in order to transcend. This is the most important teaching. That is why I use the image of water to talk about understanding. Knowledge is solid; it blocks the way of understanding. Water can flow, can penetrate. ~ Thich Nhat Hanh, explaining the above quote from Buddha
It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on him not understanding it. ~Upton Sinclair
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. ~ Benjamin Franklin Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. ~ George Santayana, The Life of Reason It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle. ~ Ernest Hemingway
When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist. ~ Dom Helder Camara
Evolution doesn't bend its rules for anyone, not even a talkative mystical primate. The human plague is following its preordained path, and the final outcome is likely to be very grim indeed. ~ Reg Morrison
A Native American grandfather was talking to his grandson about how he felt about a tragedy. He said, “I feel as if I have two wolves fighting in my heart. One wolf is the vengeful, angry, violent one. The other wolf is the loving, compassionate one.” The grandson asked him, “Which wolf will win the fight in your heart?” The grandfather answered, “The one I feed.”A native American Indian story
My decision to give up car ownership several years ago has required me to turn to other forms of transportation. For local travel I initially turned to cycling and walking, while carrying a strip of bus tickets in my wallet as backup. Since June, for several reasons, I have been using the local bus system more (known as OCTranspo here in Ottawa) , so I have purchased a bus pass, in conjunction with membership in a car sharing organization, vrtucar. So far so good, until, a week ago, within hours of the city being hit by its first major snowstorm, and in the midst of the already increased traffic generated by the holiday season, the bus drivers went on strike.
Similar scenes can be observed in modern day European cities where the streetscape came before the automobile, as shown below in Dublin Ireland in 2003.
