Cornucopia | Podcast on RSS.com

Cornucopia

by Karim Benammar

18 Shaping the future

In a world of scarcity, our work and organisations are focused first on surviving, and then on producing enough for a safe and comfortable life. As we are shifting to a world of abundance, doing work which is meaningful to us, and working for organisations with a purpose, becomes much more important. As we become aware of our power to shape the world, we can decide to consciously create the future we want for humanity.

17 Sisyphus revisited

The philosopher Albert Camus uses the myth of Sisyphus as a parable for human existence. We are condemned to toil endlessly, without result, like Sisyphus pushing a boulder up the hill, only to have it roll down again. This is certainly the case in a world without progress, in which we are barely surviving, but is it true in a world of abundance and creativity? Can humanity escape Sisyphus’ fate? If so, what does that future look like? Let’s revisit this myth and the fundamental question about of the meaning of our lives.

15 Abundant generosity

Generosity - a virtue many of us aspire to - is not just about giving money away, or sharing tangible things. It is also generosity of spirit, magnanimity: being genuinely happy for other people's successes and fortune, rather than jealous or resentful. If we make a mental shift to abundance, if we realise we live in a world of plenty, we are no longer in endless competition, and generosity of spirit comes naturally. The same effect occurs with financial generosity. Realising we live in an abundant world makes us naturally generous.

14 The Joy Of Missing Out

The shift to abundance has led to an abundance of objects, of creative content, but also of possibilities and of choices. If we apply our traditional strategies when choosing, such as trial-and-error, we will be overwhelmed. We become paralysed, incapable making a choice, or fearful of missing out on a better option. In this episode we explore new strategies to enjoy an abundance of choice, and to reframe the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) into the Joy Of Missing Out (JOMO).

13 A tsunami of content

Nothing illustrates the shift to abundance as powerfully as the enormous rise in creative content - music, books, videos, films, TV series - that have become available to all of us with the advent of the Internet and the smartphone. This overflow of material is both wonderful and overwhelming. And we are on the cusp of a new wave, of a veritable tsunami of software-generated material, with the advent of AI programs like Chat GPT. What new strategies can we develop to enjoy this overflow of material, instead of drowning in it?

11 The goose with the golden eggs

Nature is not scarce, but it can be destroyed. Our greatest problem is therefore not scarcity, but our wanton destruction. Ancient wisdom, in the form of the parable of the goose with the golden eggs, illustrates this wonderfully: the abundant growth of the natural world - the golden eggs - and the vulnerability of natural ecosystems (the goose). We unpack the layers and lessons of this teaching tale to inspire our shift to abundance.

10 Climate positivity

Climate Positivity is a way to approach our current climate crisis from an abundance mindset. The challenge we are facing is enormous: we need to start paying back a carbon debt that we have accumulated over centuries. Furthermore, everything that we do produces too many greenhouse gases: our energy use, our agriculture, our production system, our transportation, and our built environment. So, the key is not to produce less, but to produce differently: we need to reinvent everything. We can apply a simple carbon calculus to prioritize the most effective measures. What can you contribute as an individual, as a global citizen, with your organisation and your profession?

09 Learning to be rich

Are you rich? Do you feel rich? What does it mean to feel rich? And what would it take for you to feel rich? I argue that we haven't learned to be rich, partly because we have been poor for most of human history, and partly because we are stuck in an endless competition for positional goods. With the shift to abundance, we realise that many of us have access to all that we need to lead fulfiling lives, that we are living lives of plenty, and that we can let go of our fear of coming up short, now and in the future.

07 Shame or pride

What story do we tell ourselves about humanity? A pessimistic story of shame at our shortcomings, or a story of pride at our achievements? We are faced with a paradox: while the world is objectively getting better all the time, we seem to have lost faith in ourselves and in humanity's progress. In unpacking this paradox, we examine the strange power of negative news, humanity as a clumsy but well-meaning adolescent, the surprising idealism of those who argue that humanity is failing, and the power of an aspirational narrative.

05 Only growth can save the world

We need rapid economic growth for a thriving humanity on a thriving planet. Proposals for degrowth are understandable but dangerous. The best solutions for human well-being and ecological health all require and create economic growth.

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