Consider the extremes.

At one end of the spectrum is a society in which little is done beyond providing the necessities for life. Little change takes place, conditions are tolerated no matter what they may be, time moves slowly. If something is traditional then it is considered better. Novelty is anxiety provoking. It's hard to get anyone to do anything extra and the motivated person is the exception. A lifetime can be spent mastering one skill. Whatever is, is right. What is old is honored

At the other extreme there is not enough time for anything, the pace is frantic, change is everywhere and stress is constant. It's hard to relax amid the tide of striving people trying to get more, though they have plenty already. Nothing is acceptable for long and everything is a potential target for what is called improvement. Being able to do many things at once is considered a valuable trait. What is new is honored.

American life is situated far toward the latter extreme. By comparison to that in most other countries, American life is the latter extreme or moving in that direction.

I believe that for most people, neither extreme is preferable, yet our lives are pushed toward more stress all the time simply by the nature of the economy in which we live. I won't deny capitalism its due. We've seen the miraculous work it has done in taking us from a hard life for the average citizen to one of plenty and comfort. But, have we reached the point of diminishing returns? When the average person is overweight, has so many potential activities that there is not enough time for them all, has a home filled with things which are seldom or never used, isn't it time to question the balance of things owned and money earned with the quality of life that is lost?

The main question we should be asking ourselves is: can the process be slowed or altered to avoid more stress and a faster pace in the future? Is capitalism capable of a steady state or must we ride with it faster and faster until a collapse occurs that could thrust us back to material denial?

Now is the time to ask these questions because there are signs of the pressure our economic system is exerting on the natural world. Global warming due to human activity can be denied, but what of overfishing, the destruction of aquatic life by fertilizer runoff, the lowering of aquifers by agricultural pumping. What are traffic congestion and road rage telling us?

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