Enough Already!

The defining idea of the next decade is “enough.” “Enough” is a judgment, not a simple black-and-white issue. “Enough” is a concept aptly described by the 18th-century poet James Thomson as “an elegant sufficiency.”

The day of “enough” is coming. “Enough” is part of a reaction against the overwhelming greed, violence, dishonesty, and petty meanness of the last decades. I believe that people in America, perhaps in all of Western culture, are tired of the adversarial system of law, government, and behavior that has held sway for so long. “Enough” is revulsion at cheap shots and oh-so-predictable scandals involving individuals in positions of trust. “Enough” is a renouncement of the notion that life is a zero-sum game, that if you win, I lose. Riches, domination of others, and winning at all costs are more likely to stir self-disgust than contentment.

I see portents of a future in which “enough” rules in the blossoming of the buy-local movement, as well as deeper community involvement in local schools, the preservation of wild habitats and green spaces, and the building of not-so-big houses. All of these efforts speak to the inherent rightness of the human and not the imperial scale.

This change in attitude matters tremendously. As a paleoanthropologist, I am used to taking a long—a very long—perspective on human nature and human needs. We evolved in a local habitat, in families and small groups, and in villages. We know how to work at the local level, how to participate in a community, and how to build consensus rather than enmity (though perhaps a few of us need refresher courses). At one time, those personal and familial ties were used to rally “us” against the foreign barbarian. But it has never served humankind well to define anyone as the foreign barbarian, and we must abandon this outlook in the interests of fostering a global interdependency that will give “enough” to many more than enjoy it now.

The challenge of the next decade is to enlarge our minds and expand our souls, to be more mindful of the common needs of all humans and all creatures. Humans are the ultimate invasive species with an appalling record of exploitation and destruction. We cannot yearn for more and more and more in a rising spiral of ruthless acquisition and expect to succeed. Our contentment and perhaps a good measure of wisdom will lie in recognizing “enough” and seeking satisfaction in the common good.