Matthew Henry John Bartlett

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Thursday 21 May, 02009

Updated Happy Revolution

by Matthew Bartlett @ 1:00 pm
  • happy + healthy families
  • dignified, useful and honourable work
  • flourishing and productive ecosystems
  • time for celebration, relaxation, reflection
  • lots of interpersonal interactions
  • intergenerational mingling
  • low-carbon
  • low-energy
  • low-waste

Am I missing anything big?

(first posted 28/04/09)

6 responses to “Updated Happy Revolution”

  1. On a seriouser but more cynical note. Are they called revolutions because eventually we end up returning to the same place?

  2. Matthew Bartlett says:

    No. Cf Industrial Revolution.

  3. Ben Hoyt says:

    I’m reminded of growing up — I remember enjoying many of those things. Especially low-carbon (Mum never burnt the cooking) and low-energy (before dinner she always had us “go around and turn off all the lights”). :-)

    Certainly not dissing the list, but aren’t those things pretty much the standard, “old-fashioned” virtues that our mothers and grandmothers taught us? You’re returning to your roots, man!

    Oh, I’d add: playing and enjoying music.

  4. Matthew Bartlett says:

    Thanks for the addition, Ben. I suppose I’d consider music roughly within the reflection/relaxation category.

    Yes it is all more or less oldfashioned. It would be interesting to compare avg NZ energy use per person now, 15-20 years ago when we were children, and 40-50 years ago when our parents were children.

    I’d guess many many mothers and grandmothers shed a lot of their energy-frugality when they become energy-rich, no?

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