Mean Wage Movement
One Guiding Principle to Fight Climate Change, Redistribute Wealth, and Live Happily | Introduction
The Mean Wage Movement — Read my new book on Medium!
Chapter 1 → | Latest chapter → →
Right now is an incredible time to be alive.
After billions of years of evolution, from microbes all the way to primates, Earth finally has a self-aware species. We’ve learned how to use our intelligence in astonishing ways:
- We have medical technology that can make life livable for those who would have died at any other point in history.
- We have the internet, which allows you to talk to people anywhere in the world in real-time and learn about anything you want.
- Our economy makes it possible to order a vast array of products with a few clicks on the internet, to be delivered directly to your door within a couple of days.
- We have the ability to explore space and understand the history of the cosmos.
- Artificial intelligence is on the verge of becoming an uncontrollable force that could radically change life as we know it.
As exciting as this all is, there are a few problems that have developed alongside our technological explosion, including major ecological and social concerns.
Climate change is mostly a result of our use of fossil fuels, and it is on track to change our planet in dramatic ways. This will likely spell disaster for our species and many others.
As our global population continues to swell, wealth is increasingly being concentrated on fewer and fewer people, leaving billions to suffer in poverty and unstable living conditions. We have the resources and technology to ensure a better quality of life for everyone, but we lack organization and willpower.
How can we continue on the path of increasing technology, security, knowledge, and happiness, while also preventing the worst disasters of climate change — and without leaving billions of people behind?
I believe it requires a shift in the core values of our global culture. I believe the required action is clear, and we have the means to do it, but we are struggling to move beyond old paradigms.
We need an attitude adjustment when it comes to money and consumption.
Of course, this is not a new idea. There are loads of people who share my concern about these problems and have come to similar conclusions about what needs to be changed. Climate change, in particular, weighs heavy on the public’s mind as we witness extreme weather anomalies never seen before.
The gap I want to fill with my book is this: there’s currently no central lifestyle philosophy that people can turn to if they want to participate in solving these problems. Instead, there is a wide and loose collection of ideas and suggestions that are difficult to wade through.
A cultural revolution needs clarity and simplicity in order to gain traction.
The vegan movement, for example, can be summed up in four words: “Don’t consume animal products.” It’s dead simple. You say you’re a vegan and people know what that means. It may not always be easy to follow, but the idea is clear, and the world is changing as a result.
What is the simple, effective, unifying lifestyle principle that can be adopted by those of us who are concerned about climate change and global suffering?
I’ve been thinking about that for years. Here’s my answer:
“Try to live on the global mean income, giving any excess to those living below it.”
Like veganism, this is a simple idea to communicate, yet with motivations and desired outcomes that require some elaboration. That’s where the book comes in.
I believe this philosophy could actually address the world’s biggest problems if it caught on.
Rather than asking you to sacrifice your well-being for the sake of a lower socio-environmental footprint, I will show you how it is possible for anyone to participate in this movement and at the same time improve your mental and physical health, strengthen your connections to loved ones, and find more time for the things that truly matter to you.
Let me explain my use of the word “movement.” While I would be thrilled to see this idea take off, it would be ridiculous to call it a movement before I even publish the book. I have another reason for using that word: the concept is to make a movement toward frugality in our lives. To move in the direction of equalizing wealth by reducing our consumption and giving to the poor. Perfection isn’t the goal; progress is.
To learn more, follow along as I release a new chapter every Saturday — roughly 20 chapters in total. Subscribe to Ecofrugality if you’re a Medium member, or sign up for my mailing list here to receive a free link to each new chapter.
I ask for your participation. I want you to challenge my ideas, ask questions, make corrections, speak from your experience, and point to other connected topics I may be unaware of. That’s why I’m releasing this slowly and publicly: I can’t possibly understand this entire topic by myself. No individual can. It will take a team effort to create a robust, practical idea. Please partner with me in this.