There’s more to life than GDP. The post-Covid world will be quantum, not classical. The negative impact (almost everywhere) of pervasive uncertainty provoked by the pandemic will take years to play out. But shifts in personal habits could make it easier to cope.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Material living standards “are not the same thing as “quality of life” – Oren Cass
Oren Cass, The Elite Needs to Give Up Its G.D.P. Fetish
(The New York Times, 27 August 2020)
This is all the more interesting since it comes from a prominent American conservative thinker. Cass makes the ‘obvious’ point that “material living standards” are not the same thing as “quality of life.” In his own words: “What good does GDP do, if people we love are falling seriously ill and dying in unprecedented numbers; if the rhythms of daily life vital to our happiness have gone haywire and our social connections have atrophied?” We’ve been arguing the same for years and now believe that policy-makers are at an inflection point. Wellbeing policies are the way to go and increasingly in fashion. Even thinkers and policy-makers in the temple of consumerism say so! (6-7 min).
Click here to read the full article.
Armen Sarkissian, We need an era of quantum politics
(The Financial Times, 28 August 2020)
The Armenian President (with whom we’ll co-host the Armenian MB Summit of Minds in October) muses on how Bach and quantum physics inspire him in the fight against COVID-19. He explains how the pandemic accelerates the transformation of the classical world (in which organised forms of connectivity mattered) into a quantum world where change is faster and more unpredictable, and can be more random. The article is behind a paywall, but if you are not subscribed to the FT ask a friend (or us!) to share it with you (reads in 6-7 min).
Click here to read the full article.
Kenneth Rogoff, The Uncertainty Pandemic
(Project Syndicate, 3 September 2020)
Uncertainty about COVID-19 remains pervasive and the world’s struggle with the pandemic is likely to affect growth, employment, and politics for a very long time. This article explores different scenarios. Even in an optimistic one, the post-pandemic expansion may take years to meet the definition of a recovery (a return to initial per capita income) in the aftermath of a deep recession. Many emerging markets and developing economies face the real possibility of a lost decade of development (reads in 7-8 min).
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Olivier Burkeman, Oliver Burkeman’s last column: the eight secrets to a (fairly) fulfilled life
(The Guardian, 4 September 2020)
After more than a decade of writing life-changing advice, the health & wellbeing columnist of the Guardian shares what he learnt. A few snippets: (1) There will always be too much to do – and this realisation is liberating; (2) When stumped by a life choice, choose “enlargement” over happiness; (3) The capacity to tolerate minor discomfort is a superpower; (4) The advice you don’t want to hear is usually the advice you need; (5) The future will never provide the reassurance you seek from it; and a few more. Read on! (6-8 min).
Click here to read the full article.
And lastly, we make an exception to our “read-only” policy to recommend the incisive ONE20 videos of our friend Ali Borhani. One minute and twenty seconds that will make you rethink some of your assumptions.
