After this topic gained my attention for the umpteenth time, I have come to believe that the reason that growth remains a very high priority in the face of all

After this topic gained my attention for the umpteenth time, I have come to believe that the reason that growth remains a very high priority in the face of all the costs is a truly unpleasant justification. Consider the Soviet Union. During its early development the working day was progressively shortened, reaching seven hours by 1929 [1]. Certainly, many people would consider "working less" a nice alternative to endlessly pursuing growth. But then something funny happens. Adolf Hitler comes to power in Germany and the Soviet workday gets longer [2]. The reason that we pursue growth so doggedly is not because we have a collective wish to do so. It's because we are afraid that $Enemy is going to grow faster than we are, for various values of $Enemy. The solution cannot be merely political; it must be geopolitical. 1: https://soviethistory.msu.edu/1929-2/churches-closed/churches-closed-texts/seven-hour-working-day/ https://soviethistory.msu.edu/1929-2/churches-closed/churche... 2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_industry_in_World_War_II#Wartime_economy_and_governmental_actions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_industry_in_World_War_I...