If all this sounds unsustainable, it's because it is.

We're essentially legitimizing a pyramid scheme here. Economics and policy are all centered around extraction and share holder value. I've never seen any attention paid to making an industry stable or resilient.

Nearly every issue we face day-to-day is either due to companies holding massive control over our society, or companies degrading services we rely on because profit is no longer increasing.

We're not allowed a stable, peaceful life in a stable climate because someone else needs to get one over on someone else.

We could provide for everyone but we have decided making immaterial numbers go up is #1 priority.

When I ask why can't we have companies that exist in a steady state, the answer is another company will take advantage if the first company doesn't first. Why do we live like this? Is this system truly responsible for our technology and comfort? or is the comfort a side-product that can be produced by a number of other systems?

We're being played for fools. We all know it, but we can't imagine an alternative because they've got us all by the balls controlling our health care and housing.

Citation:

How much growth is required to achieve good lives for all? Insights from needs-based analysis - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S245229292... | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wdp.2024.100612

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43465127 - March 2025 (26 comments)

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42529256 - December 2024 (10 comments)

(You're right, it is a suboptimal socioeconomic system)

capitalism is the current dominant religion.

we're fucked.