Bigger Therefore Better !?

It is true that I don’t understand economics or business. So the idea that ‘zero growth’ in a firm, country  or continent as a negative is unfathomable to me. ‘Zero growth’ means room to breathe, space to step back. But hard- nosed business will have none of that. According to an article in the ‘Globe and Mail’  there is a crisis in Canada’s fertility rates;  we as a nation are not breeding like we used to and therefore our population could decline. This type of ‘zero growth’ is perceived as a bad thing?!  I don’t understand why this is so.  There are more people living on our planet now than have ever lived. Surely this too is a bad thing. Am I, Dear Reader, being naïve here? Is there something that I am missing?

Here on Vancouver’s North Shore we are striving towards population density which may be a good thing as it keeps wilderness wild. But, of course, it has to be matched by infrastructure such as transit and such like. I have seen the 10 minute journey that I used to make back from work in the evening become 30 minutes, which is inconvenient but more important than that it means my gas powered vehicle is polluting the atmosphere for longer. That surely is not good.  So on the occasions when there is gridlock locally, people are idling in traffic. This certainly negates our green  ambitions.

I was thinking recently about the number of stadia I have visited in my long life.  I am not a football fan but I can never forget the roar of the crowd at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow when I attended an European Quarter Final there.  Hockey games at Rogers Arena, concerts at Rogers Arena, a wet night at Sheffield Wednesday football ground where Bruce Springsteen made us forget it was raining, England v Scotland games at Twickenham and Wembley; 100,000 people with an awesome roar, an unforgettable uplift. So I can be a part of a mass of people and feel at home in a tribal atmosphere. But, of course, when the crowd has dispersed, the stadia are filled only with the quiet litter of what once was, then reason must return. One must recognise that blinkered, one-eyed passion  and jingoism are not an healthy state of being. I feel that I know what it is like to be amongst crowds and, for a short time, I enjoy the character of such events.  We have seen the absence of people at empty stadia during Covid and it is such a loss for the players who are giving their all so now that the crowds are back, then in this case, Dear Friends, bigger is better. But I do want the choice of the smaller.

The longer that I live the more I realise that I am extremely privileged and lucky. Among all of my many benefits has been the ability to walk somewhere unfettered and unmolested. I am always able to discover a lone, quiet spot  The particular richness and wealth I am talking about here is the ability to find solitude and peace when I choose. I realise more and more that for most of the world’s population that simple requirement is impossible. I am not talking about starvation or war or poverty here although these are immense factors obviously leading towards a paucity of choice. I am talking about the ability to find a solitary tree on a sunny day, to discover that the mossy bank is a soft spot upon which to lie, to hear the tinkling stream that is nearby. I am talking about the freedom to sit under a cloudless sky, to lie back and close one’s eyes and hear the birds and the water and the ruffling of the branches, the quivering of the leaves in a breeze. And to do nothing but think and dream and give the greatest of blessings to oneself so that one is ready to be recreated enough to take up one’s place in the wider world again. What would the peoples of Gaza, Israel, Ukraine give to find that solitary tree right now, to be far from the madding crowd?  You and I know some of them are never going to experience such peace.

It is sad for me to say this because I do like my fellow human beings but, to me, encouraging  larger birth rates in a world where human beings are already too many is not the way to go. Cramming people cheek by jowl, gridlocking traffic, accompanying unnatural noises, squealing trains, two toned sirens; forcing people to compete at work, compete for space on buses and trains, compete for living space, compete against time.  These are more  quantities than qualities of life.  Easy for me to say. I have had my two children, have benefitted in my teaching career from thousands of young curious minds, have had ready access to nature and wilderness. But I think, like many of you, it is a wish for all the people in the world to be able to step outside their front doors and step aside to find a quiet nook in a natural niche.

I have mentioned before ‘the stream that stays yet still departs’. We are, in the northern hemisphere, settling into Spring. Early mornings bring joyous birdsong. Daylight shows us so much natural growth from snowdrops to daffodils, to buds in the trees and warmth in the air. The greening is ubiquitous.  I suppose that I want to have my cake and eat it too. I cannot be Swedish Greta and refuse to fly; my car will continue to guzzle gas because I am not ready to go electric[i]; ( ① See Footnote) I will not buy bottled water nor drink my coffee from a disposable cup; our grocery bags are reusable. But my clothing will continue to be oil based; my food will be a mixture of home grown and grocery bought. I will use a bus whenever possible but I will also rent a car on holiday. I could easily give up meat but likely won’t.

I guess what I am trying to say is that I do follow the news and have some guilt over my full stomach, my lack of war, my safety outdoors, my access to nature. My bigger self wants all of these good things for all of humankind. I will voice my opinions and concerns about what is happening in the wider world. At some point my bigger and better being will try to make a difference in some small way. However more often than not I find these situations so overwhelming and hopeless that I throw my arms in the air, shrug my shoulders and seek out the next pleasurable thing. I am solipsistic, I have to live my life. I cannot be a Navalneyesque hero, I cannot throw myself into the fire as a burnt martyr. I can, however, be informed, participate locally and democratically, try to see both sides of every argument. I can greet people with a smile and a welcome. I discovered this quotation from Leon Trotsky the other day:-

“You may not be interested in politics but politics is interested in you.”

I do feel that it is incumbent on us to stay informed but whether we can influence events is another matter.

And if all of these rantings are self-indulgent claptrap, Dear Reader, if I have stated the bleeding obvious to you all, then I apologise for wasting your time. I am heading off to the UK for a month or so. This shalll give you a much needed break from my meanderings.

Hope you are enjoying your Spring or Autumn, Dear Friends.

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[i]① [i] Partly because of the expense but more about the slave trade for our battery parts in the Congo. See my previous blog , “Orwell and Beyond”  dated 15^th April, 2023