Growth goes exponential!

Just look at the graph on the left. What a story it tells. For almost 2,000 years per capita GDP was a steady state, until that is, it took after after the Industrial Revolution. Since then it's gone EX-PO-NEN-TIAL, particularly over the last century!

Such a rate of growth simply cannot go on. And more importantly, it need not go on rising, despite what the politicians tell us. For them, growth is the Holy Grail, as they think (and they are right) that getting elected means promising more growth.

But what does this growth bring us? Are people happier? No! Are people healthier? They were getting healthier, until recently, but the health curve has started to decline, mainly as a result of obesity in the advanced nations.

Surely we measure our contentment with life in terms of health and happiness? Wealth used to be the third buzz-word: "Health, wealth and happiness". And although people naturally seek financial security for themselves and their families, the reality is that despite the so-called wonder-performance of advanced economies, the wealth has been stripped from most people, and concentrated in the hands of mega corporations and their mega-wealthy owners.

Also, the supposed trickle-down effect, which took off in the Reagan and Thatcher eras, has been shown to be an economic myth. It should really be called the trickle-up effect!

So growth does not benefit the masses in the advanced nations, either in health, wealth or happiness.