WILL A GLOBAL LIFESTYLE TRANSFORMATION HAPPEN?

WILL A GLOBAL LIFESTYLE TRANSFORMATION HAPPEN?

Alvin Toffler writes in his book ‘The Future Shock’ published exactly fifty years ago “It is the thesis of this book that there are discoverable limits to the amount of change that the human organisms could absorb, and that by endless accelerating change without first determining these limits, we may submit masses of men to demands they simply cannot tolerate. We run the high risk of throwing them into that peculiar state that I have called Future shock.” He continues “We may define future shock as the distress, both physical and psychological, that arises from an overload of human organism’s physical adoptive systems and its decision-making processes. Put simply, future shock is the human response to over-stimulation.”

The current global disaster has led to the loss of several thousands of lives and a scale of human disease in unimaginable proportions, and is increasing in an exponential manner. Is this just a reflection of that over-load and over- stimulation of the human organisms for which we neither have a meaningful managerial response nor an adequate operational response? It is in a state of chaos across the globe. In this context, it is interesting to learn from the mathematical models of chaos that “if a butterfly flaps its wings in China, it can cause a hurricane in Texas.”  The catastrophe that has struck the world diffusing all boundaries of geography, race, religion, language or the social status has brought us down from an excited state of energy to the ground state, from a perceived technology dominated world to a realistic biology dominated world, if one could put it a little scientifically.

In the midst of serious political debates on the source, origin and modus operandi of the virus, the human race is not only trying to find remedies for a disease, but is potentially engaged with questions which are more fundamental. These questions relate to the scope and direction of future human and social progress, its impact on the global and local economies, newer life styles that could emerge and drawing the speed limits to our hunger for intellectual conquest over nature and of course, an engagement with the past and the native cultures to seek solace and peace.  Economists and sociologist may engage with some reflective questions on repositioning and redefining the current perspectives of needs, desires and luxuries which are not necessarily related to the basics for human existence.  Questions relating to the need for re-engineering current social architectures may draw public debates.  Well, the tools of science and technology has facilitated to address many of the fundamental issues; however a host of other issues seeking solutions remain – the acceptable pathways for our future living platforms , the way we would socialize human relationships, contemporary belief systems and trust deficits, ethical living and business systems, and the way we would combat consumerism and exhibitionism as a people of a planet struggling to survive.

Consumerism and exhibitionism have really transported human thought architectures to flights of fancies and negotiating and subordinating the real world to a virtual world, least realizing that such conquests have very short life. Compromises for immediate pleasure have constantly been ushering newer life styles and the human race has, at least in the last one century, subordinated its culture and heritage assimilated over centuries to a few peanuts of modernity. The argument may sound stifling and strange, but we cannot deny the realities latent in the core of our hearts. Intellectual conquests, which shun human considerations, and trigger personal priorities over those of ecosystems have a perilous value. We have just pursued that path. Possibly, the catastrophe Covid-19 brought, has triggered some thinking in a large cross-section of well-meaning people on ‘whether we should consider rehabilitating our life styles?’.

Talking about the search for human happiness in his book “The Future of (Almost) Everything” Patrick Dickson remarks  “Research into Happynomics shows that happiness in developed nations is strongly linked to some or all of the following: mid-range income, good friends, stable marriage or partnership, strong faith or spirituality, extrovert nature, liking your job, living in a stable democracy.’ If closely analysed all the ingredients to a happy society appears challenged in the excessively ‘information and data driven society’ wherein logistics singularly outwits emotions and intuition. There is more to life than logic, though it scaffolds a healthy living. The author also talks of a survey which reveals: “Africa is the place where people are happier (84%), while people in western Europe are the least happy with 11% saying that they are unhappy or very unhappy.” This indeed takes us to a more basic issue whether the standard of life is the real indicator of happiness levels?’ Possibly in the pursuit of the standards of life we have sacrificed the ‘quality of life’.

Covid-19 has certainly ushered in a sense of social fear psychosis, whether one agrees or not, however much we may say we are warriors by nature. This sense of fear may indeed provoke us to revisit and re-calibrate some of our past assumptions about life styles. Let us consider a few possible scenarios:

1.   Would lifestyles change?

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Over the last few decades, we have moved towards a faster life; fast in everything – in scaling distances, in defining and measuring achievements, in assimilation of wealth, in fast processes including food habits. While this technology driven change is indeed a blessing to us for solving problems, for mass management systems, for speedy engagements in times of crisis and for larger focused approach to human thought architecture. This is being scaffolded through big data management, deep learning exercises and the like. Speed, impatience, excitement have impacted our life processes by awarding anxiety syndromes, gratification urges and achievement scales.

The incumbent fear may act as a speed-breaker to restore the human thought dynamics closer to its native state and to a heritage driven culture of thinking. We would certainly like to look back frequently whether we are losing anything in life or losing the life itself, in its true sense. We may reconsider our lifestyle needs as to their relevance and reliability. Work-life balance may be revisited by human consciousness. Referrals to the ground state of human existence built on healthy lifestyles that nurtured the self and the neighbourhood, as detailed in the past knowledge parks may be re-read to seek a newer meaning and purpose.

2.   Will consumerism get reversed?

“Now a days people know the price of everything and the value of nothing”, said Oscar Wilde. Possibly he was right. We have engaged into a new culture in consumerism, wherein we tend to buy, possess a number of things whether we want it or not. Every individual is valued more on his credit profile unlike the past wherein taking a loan from someone was considered as inappropriate and a challenge to the self-esteem. It is said that ‘we buy things we don’t need with the money we don’t have, to impress people who we don’t like.’ This consumerist attitude has impacted the eco-sphere both directly and indirectly raising several threats to our existence in the planet. As Bryant.H. McGill puts is “The new slavery is consumerism.’  Given an unprecedented assault on both Marco-economic and the micro-economic systems, the instability in the value profile of money, there is every possibility of the consumerist trends getting reversed, if not largely, but in a progressive manner with serious impacts on the global markets and economy, This may force producers to rethink about their market profiles, needs and approaches.

3.   Will nations become glocal than global?

The last decade or two has witnessed a strong impetus towards globalization. The rat race among nations to explore global markets and seek monarchy over production and distribution of products fostered not only the mobilization of products to global markets but human resources too. In some countries, they decided to market and export even essentials to other countries at the cost the consumption needs of their own citizens just to ensure their global presence. In this process, many products, services and systems which are either culturally or socially alien to countries penetrated into markets, not only promoting insensitive and inappropriate products to other countries, but significantly redefining their culture. This cultural assault impacted the social psyche creating conflicts in belief systems, life styles and in the educational delivery processes required for the Next-gen. The current scenario suggests that there will be increasing focus on local products or adoption of local products to the local geographies, not letting dominance of 

global markets over the local ones. There is every possibility of this rehabilitating local cultures, which may indeed by a gift of Covid-19.

4.   Is conservatism wait-listed?

With growth curves of many countries flattening, they might have to rediscover themselves in terms of their produces, processes and people skills. Whatever be the inflow of global currencies infused to keep the economic vibrance and fluidity in place, the local inadequacies will force several countries to rethink on their entrepreneurial adventures, thereby promoting conservatism in their mind maps and thought universe. The burden of the past will hang on their economies for some time and their purchase power will be low and strategically moderated by the administrative hierarchies. William Gladstone observes “Liberalism is trust of the people tempered by prudence; conservatism is distrust of the people tempered by fear,” In the current scenario, countries will operate both on distrust and fear for some more time. Consequently, conservatism will retard faster growth and reduce global interactions. With a down-graded economy, many countries will review their import requirements and strategies forcing the design of contended communities.

5.   Will technology become humane?

Technology has impacted the world extensively. We have reached a situation that we cannot either live or let live others without technology. Its exotic penetration, while providing a number of ‘aha’ experiences in outreach, research and human services, it has also promoted the idea of ‘utilitarianism’ and encouraging ‘throw away’ approaches as a part of our social growth. Durability and sustenance of materials and methods have been replaced by novelty and fashions. While technology has linked people at distances, it has separated people who were close by reducing human interactions. The technology organizations which have witnessed the human disaster in unprecedented proportions might re-position their entrepreneurial and investment adventures more proximate to human needs, humane linkages and adopt a ‘healer’ approach to stay closer to human issues.

6.   Will the concept of wealth be repositioned?

Thanks to competitive consumerism, cut-throat and cutting-edge competitions for establishing supremacy anywhere and everywhere through brand marketing, unethical values proliferated unethical practices worldwide both in business and in everyday life. Wealth was positioned in terms real estates, stock markets, bank balances, credit bills, corporate expenditures, avenues for club houses, egalitarian approaches to relationships and the like. Vulgar and arrogant display of liquid money was considered as demonstration of wealth. “Without a rich heart, wealth is an ugly beggar” said R.W. Emerson. Now, the social consciousness, which is likely to get stirred by fear, would provoke people to reconsider their definition of wealth as health, family, relationships, ecosystems, satisfaction, engagement, peace and pleasure. The impact of this will be on the entire spectrum of industry- business-market-people engagement. People will find substance and meaning in the words of Epictetus “Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”

The aftermath of Covid-19 poses unpredictable impacts in the social psyche. It will be interesting to wait and watch how nations, communities, corporates and businesses will respond.