And I would like to ask a personal question

[bhikkhu]

19. Anecdote is then better?

When looking at national or global economic activity, it is impossible to gain a real perspective by looking at what one's neighbors are up to, or how one's city is faring, or even one's state. Outside of statistics, we have a media that offers snippets of anecdote from here and there, generally bent to some agenda or other. People tend to read and watch what they find agreeable to their perspective; if you think we are in a desperate depression, you tend to watch a certain news channel and read articles with supportive headlines to massage that perspective.

We had a recession, and we are in a slow recovery. Its evident in the employment numbers, and in the overall economic numbers. Its easy to say that 4 million new jobs over the last 3 and a half years is not enough, but 4 million new jobs is also neither recession nor depression. Economic growth of 2% may not satisfy, but it is certainly not a recession.

If you look at the global energy-and-resources picture, 2% growth is likely to be "the new 5% growth" for the rest of our lives. I haven't seen anything workable that will change that - certainly not from any political party or ideology. The planet's resources don't change, regardless of how you squint your eyes. If you look at the correlation between economic activity and carbon emissions, and the inevitable link between carbon emissions and global climate change, you might begin to think that slower growth may be a blessing, and a long-term shift in the right direction for our species and our planet.