Growth
I've been reading humanist literature for my book. Humanism has so much to offer to post-growth, and it's also very helpful when contemplating one's own mode of being in, and relating with, the world. Maslow, in Motivation and Personality, says that "self-actualisation is growth-motivated rather than deficiency-motivated." It feels intuitively true as well, and I observe this while taking these autoethnographic notes too. It makes me think about the reasons and coping mechanisms behind being (or trying to be) in the world differently. In post-growth thought there has been a lot of negative thinking. Overconsumption, degradation, the need for reduction, downscaling, downsizing, and so on. It's not unjustified, but such thinking feels to be a poor foundation for change. For instance, I don't stay in the local area because flying to an exotic destination contributes to ecological degradation. Rather, I do it out of love towards my local area. I don't live with much less than what is the norm in my society because I am anxious about overconsumption. Rather, living with less (in addition to it being better for nature) is liberating.