Merriam-Webster defines growth as "something that has grown or is growing." It is obviously a very broad definition that encompasses all "somethings." The matter piqued my curiosity so I looked into it a bit and then wrote this brief piece. It examines growth on a continuum from good through bad to calamitous.
Good Growth
What comes immediately to my mind as good growth is that of human development, growth that begins with the human embryo and continues to life's end. The epitome of human growth in my opinion is what the late psychologist Abraham Maslow called "self-actualization" of reaching one's fullest potential. [1]
Billions of human beings fall way short of Maslow's apex of meaningful human growth and barely reaching the lowest level of meeting basic needs such as shelter and food. The reason is simply that a few thousand power elite worldwide rob humanity of its potential.
I hasten to rule out anyone reaching the apex who does so via immoral means. The "power elite" of America's "corpocracy," for example, epitomize the most heinous of self-actualizers. [2]
Bad Growth
Bad growth to me is the accumulation of
harmful somethings. It is exemplified by the continuous spiraling of the US defense
war establishment's federal budget that is larger than the next nine largest
nations' war budgets combined. [3] "USA" should stand for "USArmory."
Calamitous Growth
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