In my last column, I wrote about how, for Americans, the pursuit of happiness means always striving for more. The net effect of this is that we have forgotten how to live in the present moment.
This week, I want to write about another kind of striving that harms us: the American dedication to ever greater efficiency. While it has allowed corporations to pump out more commodities at ever-lower prices, it hasn’t increased human happiness; in fact, critics say this push is turning us into machines.
To study this, let’s look at who loses and who wins in this relentless quest for efficiency.
Certainly, the environment is a major loser because our planet, which indigenous people call Mother Earth, is now considered to be just a commodity by corporate society: a treasure trove of products to be extracted for human profit.
The only winners are the 1% of us, the titans of industry, who reap the riches. Yet in the end, we are all losers because the damage caused by burning oil, gas and coal is causing the biggest species die off in history, fueling a cascading climate crisis that threatens all life on Earth.
On an individual level, workers are hurt when efficiency is prioritized over human and environmental health: Operating at peak capacity takes a psychological toll, and performing mentally stultifying tasks renders work boring and morally degrading.
Mandy Brown in her essay “Makelife possible” write that A\at the national level, according to the prominent social scientist James C. Scott, a country suffers when it attempts to put things in order by simplification and efficiency: “More often than not, that efficiency translates into brittleness and weakness, into systems so fragile they break the moment something unanticipated arises.”
Two examples spring to mind.
The first is artificial intelligence. Let us count the ways AI makes us more fragile and vulnerable. First, AI will cause the loss of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of jobs. Second, it will worsen our climate crisis by consuming obscene amounts of energy, much of it from fossil fuels, while also depleting our aquifers by pumping out obscene amounts of water required to keep data center servers from overheating.
At the same time, the large-scale monetization of data raises complex political and ethical issues, with far-reaching consequences for democracy, human rights and the environment. Naomi Klein, award-winning journalist and author, objects to the way AI is being pursued: “The current ‘arms race’ model for large-scale AI, driven by unchecked compute demands and breakneck corporate competition, is fundamentally unsustainable and incompatible with climate goals.”
The damage to our democratic traditions by this Silicon Valley takeover, on top of the damage to our health and the environment, more than outweighs whatever benefits AI offers us in terms of increased efficiency.
My second example of how efficiency can be counterproductive took place right here in Concord.
Looking back in time, the late 1950s and early 1960s wreaked havoc on Concord. As a youngster, the iconic train station, regally residing on Stoors Avenue, was awe-inspiring. Nevertheless, in the name of progress, this grand terminal was demolished to make room for the next best thing, a shopping mall that now stands tacky and forlorn, soon to face the wrecking ball itself.
To hell with efficiency: how much better we would be today if that station had been converted into a vibrant marketplace like Faneuil Hall in Boston, a pivotal element in Boston’s development.
And even worse example of misplaced efficiency was the decision to construct I-93 directly along the Merrimack River: while technically the most efficient route, it ended up impoverishing our capital, cutting it off from its most valuable resource.
Contrast Concord’s experience with that of Burlington, Vt.: while Burlington can’t claim a mighty river, it adjoins its own jewel: Lake Champlain. Bernie Sanders was the governor at that time. He initially supported commercial development along the water, as Concord did.
However, he came to his senses and reversed course, joining the movement to preserve the land for public use. The fight went to the Vermont Supreme Court, but Bernie won. The result was the creation of Waterfront Park, which put Burlington on the map: the park has become a regional destination point, providing residents and visitors with extensive access to outdoor recreation and community events.
I rest my case: efficiency is not the right choice when it encroaches on human and environmental needs.
Jean Stimmell, retired stone mason and psychotherapist, lives in Northwood and blogs at jstim.substack.com.