Man is small, and, therefore, small is beautiful EF Schumacher
Just look at the cute 1/4 size cello and proud mother video taping her small son at his cello lesson. Actually Small is Beautiful is the title of a book by E F Schumacher which I read over 20 years ago and deeply affected many values for me.
[N]o system or machinery or economic doctrine or theory stands on its own feet: it is invariably built on a metaphysical foundation, that is to say, upon man's basic outlook on life, its meaning and its purpose. I have talked about the religion of economics, the idol worship of material possessions, of consumption and the so-called standard of living, and the fateful propensity that rejoices in the fact that 'what were luxuries to our fathers have become necessities for us.' ... "Systems are never more nor less than incarnations of man's most basic attitudes. . . . The modern private enterprise system ingeniously employs the human urges of greed and envy as its motive power, but manages to overcome the most blatant deficiencies of laissez-faire by means of Keynesian economic management, a bit of redistributive taxation, and the 'countervailing power' of the trade unions.Can you believe this was written in 1973 and that very little has changed? Schumacher was a well known and respected economist but his philosophy was based on sufficiency, appreciating both human needs and limitations, and the appropriate use of technology. His desire was a humanising of human systems. They should be dignified and meaningful first, and efficient second.
Richard Foster has written about the spiritual discipline of simplicity which speaks to the same issues. His language is strong and still reaches similarly only the few.
...our need for security has led us into an insane attachment to things.We really must understand that the Lust for affluence in contemporary society is psychotic. It is psychotic because it has completely lost touch with reality.We crave things we neither need nor enjoy.We buy things we do not want to impress people we do not like.This psychosis permeates even our mythology. The modern hero is the poor boy who purposefully becomes rich rather than the rich boy who purposefully becomes poor. Covetousness we call ambition. Hoarding we call prudence. Greed we call industry.Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, ...For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matt 6:19-21
