Reply #16: ...one can hope

[bhikkhu]

it is a sad commentary on our species that "the end of growth" is likely to come not from a decision to stop destroying the planet, a wish to end wars over resources, a desire to live happier and more fulfilling lives, a desire to preserve from extinction so many other species, or any other act of collective intelligence...but it will very likely be determined by the physical limits of our planet's geology: it will be a future that far to many will imagine themselves being dragged kicking and screaming into. I enjoy life myself, very much, with very little; for me, an end to growth is the beginning of an unpaved future, the rebirth of this world. On the other hand, it is hard to think of how much suffering is inevitable...