ABSTRACT
People and nations move ahead and work together when there is a common mission that motivates. Often it is a perceived common enemy that unites us. For several decades communism and the Soviet Union became our common enemy. Confronting this “evil empire” dominated our economics and politics, consumed a substantial part of our wealth, and established a military-industrial complex that remains a powerful consumptive force today. As communism has become less of a threat, the Islamic world is considered by many as the new common enemy, so we went to war with Iraq. More recently, the federal government, or government in general, seems to have become an evil force in the minds of many. Granted there are many aspects to be concerned about in all of these; focusing on a succession of common enemies in the short term tends to direct attention away from more important long-term trends and needs. I will argue that the real deadly menace, not only here but throughout the world, is growth mania. or more specifically, growth beyond maintenance. or in ecological terms, growth beyond carrying capacity. In other words, bigger is no longer better when the quality of human life and the life-supporting environment cannot be maintained.
