Article: Negative Growth

I heard an economist use the term, negative growth, the other day. I’m sure it made sense to him but to me it seemed silly. How can be growth be negative?

Growth is one of the defining characteristics of life. If growth isn’t equal to or greater than the processes of wear and tear, an organism is dying. Even populations, which normally experience rises and falls, are not said to be undergoing negative growth when they are in decline. So why shy away from using regular English? Perhaps it’s a fearful kind of denial. If something is dear to us we don’t want to lose it. Using words like decline can exacerbate our fear of impending loss. So an economy that is experiencing negative growth is somehow less troubling than one that is recession.

What about us? Are we in any kind of decline and how are we denying it?

Some kinds of decline are minor problems. I have experienced negative hair growth (on the top of my head at least) for a long time. It’s no big issue - hats have taken over its role fairly satisfactorily and for some reason children enjoy drawing upon the blank canvas it has left, so it’s actually rather beneficial. Other declines are more serious.

I’ve become aware recently that, in my frightfully responsible and earnest busyness, I have allowed my patience to decline to a remarkable degree. I even noticed me getting cross with a row of broccoli seedlings the other day. They weren’t growing fast enough. And if I have to wait more than a femtosecond for a webpage to download?

Other declines I tend to allow are in my

·        Vision – I’m tempted to adopt a more grown-up - pragmatic outlook rather than continuing to experience all the disappointment and frustration that goes along with nurturing unique vision.

·        Acceptance of change – A lot of politicians have been using this word lately. It’s a good vote winner because when people hear it they tend to think about the sorts of changes that would suit them and assume this is what the user is pledging. What happens when the changes that come along are not what we want? Do we wail and dribble or do we sensibly respond?

·        Rectitude – A fine word, an easily neglected aspect of my character.

·        Joy – It’s optional. And I’m sure misery must be harder work, so why do I find myself becoming so grumpy that people seem quite happy getting run over rather than pass me on the pavement?

·        Sense of purpose – This is easily lost in the fog of keeping people happy, getting enough money together, buying the latest thought silencing machine, making it to bed time, clearing the inbox, finding those keys, not swearing at the cold caller…

·        Motivation – I often mistake dilapidated motivation for exhaustion. Compare the whole-body enervation brought on by a couple of hours walking slowly around shops with the exhilaration of playing so hard and long that you’ve worn right through your jodhpurs. Low motivation can drain us of energy far more effectively than any amount of work or play.

·        Wisdom – I’ve noticed that this doesn’t come with age or experience. In fact, without considerable counter-efforts, it seems to fade with all the grace of a centrally heated Christmas tree. One minute I’m thinking creatively, from a variety of perspectives and with laser like perspicacity; the next, just a few Hollywood blockbusters later, I’m struggling to deal with questions as straightforward as, “Would you prefer a soothing massage or a blow to the head?”

·        Courage – It’s easy to blame the wildness of youth for our former bravery, convictions and determination, when in reality it is our habitual neglect of our courage that has allowed them to shrivel over time.

Consider the person you were ten years ago. Have you experienced a decline in any of the above since then? If so what are you going to do about it and when will you do it?

This is all rather negative but if I go on any longer no one will read it. I don’t suppose anyone will read to this point so I’m free to write any old chutney now. But just in case there are people who skip the last bit for a summary, here it comes.

Happiness is neither virtue nor pleasure nor this thing nor that but simply growth. We are happy when we are growing.

WB Yeats