Improving Standards of Living

Capitalism and industrialization have increase the amount of “stuff” moving around. They have also increased the size of landfills and the levels of pollution in our soil, water, and air.

We all enjoy our computers, phones, and other toys. We enjoy flying to see different parts of the world. The Internet is awesome, cars are more than convenient. Technological development is a blessing, we all prefer using a sharp knife to cut a pineapple, than trying to to slice it with a rock. How much do we really need? What are the basics we need to live a good life?

When we look at the statistics, we find that standards of living are extremely low across the globe. We’ll start by looking at the United States, the most resourceful country in the entire world.

According to the OECD Better Life Index, the U.S. ranks at the top in housing, income, and wealth. The country also ranks above average in health status, jobs, earnings, education, skills, social connections, personal security, subjective well-being, environmental quality, and civic engagement. However, when asked to rate their general satisfaction with life, from 0 to 10, people in the United States gave an average score of 6.9. This is slightly higher than the OECD’s average of 6.5. (1)

Why do Americans have so much but remain so unhappy? When I went to school, anything below a score of 7 was a failing grade. Would you let a doctor with a score of 6.9 operate on your heart? Should we accept a world with such low standards of living?

We must wake up and remember that we are living in the future. We have the super computers and flying cars. All the knowledge available to humanity can be accessed through our phones. It’s time to channel all that energy for the greatest benefit of all beings.

Previous Section:

Acknowledgments

Back to Book Menu

Next Section:
Acknowledgments