"May you live in interesting times."
-Chinese proverb/curse
2008 has certainly been the most "interesting" in memory, both on a personal level and a national and global level. On the personal side, it was a rollercoaster year... Sacred Rides had a record year, with new trips launched in 4 countries and more than double the number of riders compared to 2007. In May, my daughter was born, easily the best day of my life (and the days since have been no less amazing). In September, someone very close to me passed away after a protracted battle with cancer. On December 1, our non-profit organization Bikes Without Borders hosted our first successful bike collection drive, for HIV/AIDS workers in Malawi.
On an external level, we had yet another election in Canada, followed by a protracted power battle within the halls of Parliament, followed by a suspension of parliament. And in November, a historic election south of our border resulted in the U.S.' first black president, barely a generation after Martin Luther King's famed "I have a dream" speech.
All of this has been overshadowed by what is promising to be one of the largest and deepest financial crises of the past 100 years, the first truly global economic crisis. The scale of this crisis is being revealed day by day, and the news is anything but pretty. I was riding my bike in Croatia on a sneak preview of our new Alps + Adriatic trip when the news of the first big financial collapses began to trickle over to us in Europe. At the time, I was too preoccupied with having a great time in my ancestral homeland to truly grasp the scope of what was happening.
All in all, truly a momentous year. 2009 is poised to be no less interesting. If one were to believe the media reports, then we could be seeing an unprecedented financial collapse during the coming year. All around me, I see and hear fear. Indeed, it is the prevaling emotion in any discussion surrounding the economy.
Yet where others see fear, I see signs of hope. Surely the coming years will be trying ones, for many people, yet what may emerge on the other side of this crisis is something truly wonderful. In the natural world, death begets life. Regardless of how the crisis plays out, one thing is for certain: our economic system could not continue. An economic system based on infinite growth in a finite world is neither sustainable nor possible. If anything, this crisis may have bought us some time to avert another collapse: the collapse of the natural world and our ecosystems.
This crisis has started to awake millions of people from the deep slumber called free-market capitalism. The notion that our economy must be based on continued growth, and that capitalism should be allowed to run free, untainted by government control, is now being seriously called into question.
After decades of ever greater levels of consumption, people are starting to question capitalism's most sacred promise: that consumption of goods will lead us to happiness. Almost every conversation I hear, almost every magazine I pick up, and almost every news show I watch has something to say about living with less, about getting back to the basics, about turning the page on 30 years of neoconservative economics and unfettered free market greed.
Perhaps what we'll see on the other side of this crisis is an economic system that serves people and the planet, and not shareholders or hedge fund managers. If you get a chance, read the excellent book Natural Capitalism, in which the authors spell out just such a vision.
Everywhere around the planet, in every town, every city, every village, people are imagining the world of the future, one that is sustainable and more just, with a more equitable distribution of wealth and a better use of our planet's limited resources.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this matter. What do you see in your 2009 crystal ball? Are you scared? hopeful? Ecstatic? Pissed off?
I wish you all a Happy New Year, and a prosperous 2009 on all fronts.
Mike
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2 comments:
Thank you for the message, Mike. I agree with your thoughts fully (except that the economy overshadows Obama's election). It has to hurt this much for people to create and allow the change we so obviously need. Personally, I have never been more optimistic at the point when a new year comes in. It's like an enormous veil has been lifted - feels something along the lines of closing of The Emperor's New Clothes, frankly. Which is enormously refreshing and realistic to me. So I am excited to see the changes come.
Bonne Annee from Provence,
Jill
Glad you liked the post, Jill. I think the next few years will be very interesting, and painful for a lot of people. I think, though, that in 10 years we'll look back and think it's the best thing to happen to the world in a long time!
Mike
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