ABSTRACT
There are no linear processes in Nature: Everything flows in cycles of birth, growth, death, and rebirth. Many aspects of man-made unsustainability of the planet are a result of the misconception that we are not governed by this law of Nature. In fact, business practices and associated consumer behaviors we exhibit make us inattentive to the impacts of the linear take-make-waste practice. Nature is misunderstood as an infinite resource that is to use and can't possibly be exhausted.
This paradigm has persisted as a shared assumption held by individuals, business leaders, and politicians. It impacts our sense of identity and challenges traditional behavior and consumption decisions to strive to be forever young, active, healthy, and attractive. It impacts industrial practices, with linear growth models, and through this the increased use of natural resources to the point of depletion or extinction. Finally, the linear growth is assumed by many politicians, who promise a continuous growth that only rarely serves the most vulnerable. We can influence this paradigm.
