The Living Universe - Duane Elgin [68]
We can see material ephemeralization at work in many areas of our lives. For example, computers have evolved from room-sized giants to slim laptops with vastly more computing power. Libraries are evolving from massive buildings that warehouse millions of books to small computer chips that can store an even greater volume of knowledge. The telephone has evolved from a cumbersome network of telephone poles, wires, and transformers to cheaper, lighter, and more powerful cell phone technologies that employ transmitting towers and get rid of the bulky, burdensome, and weighty copper wires strung across the landscape. Automobiles have evolved from heavy works of iron and steel to an increasingly lighter architecture of high-strength plastic, aluminum, and other exotic materials.
Building upon the insights of Toynbee and Fuller, we can redefine progress by expanding the definition of ephemeralization. Progress can then be viewed as a two-fold process involving the simultaneous refinement of both the material and non-material side of life. With ephemeralization, the material side of life grows lighter, less burdensome, more articulate, and effortless. At the same time, the non-material side of life becomes more vital, expressive, knowledgeable, wise, artistic, and nurturing. In short, ephemeralization involves the co-evolution of inner and outer, consciousness and matter. Ephemeral progress does not negate the material side of life but calls forth a new partnership where the material and non-material aspects of life co-evolve with one another.
The outer aspects of our lives most important to ephemeralize are the basics: housing, transportation, food production, and energy generation. It is important to lighten up our inner aspects as well—learning the skills of touching the world and others ever more lightly and lovingly—in our relationships, work, community life, and more. With the combination of outer and inner refinement we have the potential for genuine progress, or building a sustainable and satisfying world for billions of people without devastating the ecology of the Earth. In place of a paradigm of consumerism we can embrace the more powerful, interesting and creative paradigm of ephemeralism.
We have seen that consumerism is a rational response if we view the universe as mostly dead matter and empty space. Consumerism offers us material pleasures, a sense of identity, and a measure of significance in an otherwise dead cosmos. In a non-living universe, it makes sense to exploit non-living matter on behalf of ourselves, because we are the most intensely alive creatures we know.
However, if we view the universe as fundamentally alive, a place perfectly suited for our awakening to that aliveness, then simplicity of living makes sense. Now we want to reduce the busyness and clutter that distract us from diving deep into existence. Seeing alive-ness rather than deadness in the world around us, we feel less need for protection or even entertainment. We gather great satisfaction from the simple pleasures of engaging with others to share a conversation, a meal, or a walk. We see the significance of our lives in the size of our souls, not the size of our house, car, or bank account.
There are many names that we could give to this new approach to living: among them, voluntary simplicity, sophisticated simplicity, green living, ephemeral living, conserver living, and Earth-friendly living. Whatever we call this shift, it has dramatic implications for the future of our world.
At a global scale, to live sustainably we need to make much more efficient use of existing resources. To live more efficiently, it is vital to live more peacefully. Global military expenditures divert an enormous amount of human energy and material