from Natural Life magazine,
March/April 2010
From the Editor's Desk
Enough,
Already
 I am hoping that this new decade will become known as the
Era of Enough. As I predicted in this space just two years ago, the recession
has taught many people to say, “Thanks, but I’ve already got enough stuff and I
wouldn’t enjoy having any more.” Many of us – certainly Natural Life Magazine
readers – have reached the state that British author John Naish calls “enoughism”
in his book Enough: Breaking Free from the World of More (Hodder &
Stoughton, 2008). Naish says humans are hardwired to want more and urges us to
fight the acquisition urge in favor of liberating enough time, energy, and space
to be healthier, happier, and more fulfilled. As we do in every issue of
Natural Life Magazine, we’ve provided some tools to help you strengthen
those “enoughism” muscles.
My "Ask Natural Life" column examines
ethical consumerism techniques such as
buycotting and concludes that the most ethical consumption is less consumption.
Learning to want and have less stuff is a great start on
the Era of Enough. But it’s not enough. As writer Gene Sager notes in his
article in this issue, living more simply needs to be accompanied by engagement
in civil society, whether in the cause of reversing the damage created by our
earlier excesses, fixing our democracies, or any of the other important changes
that need to be made.
So as we say, “Enough, already!” in regards to personal
consumption, we may also be ready to admit that we have had enough of other
kinds of excesses by corporations, financial institutions, politicians, and the
like. And as we get our own consumption habits in control, we feel strong enough
to begin taking back control from these self-serving entities.
Just in few months prior to my writing this editorial, tens of thousands of parents
in England have said no to an arrogant government that insults them while
planning to remove their right to parent and educate autonomously; tens of
thousands of Canadians have rallied against the undemocratic actions of a
dictatorial Prime Minister who thinks he can deconstruct society and remake it
in his image, in spite of being elected by a minority of voters; and progressive
Americans have watched with horror as a proper health care system slips through
their fingers once again and their courts give free range to corporate campaign
financing.
In short, we appear to be learning the difficult lesson
that excess is never good for individuals, families, communities, countries, or
the planet. We may finally be evolving an instinct that says, “Enough.” Enough
stuff. Enough debt. Enough anger with greedy corporations that destroy our
communities. Enough frustration with self-serving politicians who can’t see
beyond the next election to put policies in place that protect our families, our
environment, our food supply, our health, our jobs, and our democracies.
Once we’ve said, “Enough,” there is much work to be done.
We need to model the alternatives, create the mechanisms for mainstreaming those
models, work together in our communities to create lasting change from the
ground up. We’re honored to have a growing number of readers who trust
Natural Life Magazine to help filter through the excess of information in
this Wild West of the Wired Age, and to guide and inspire the creation of the
Era of Enough.
Wendy Priesnitz is the
co-founder and editor of Natural Life Magazine. She is also the author of 13
books and a journalist with over 40 years of experience. This
editorial was published in 2010.
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