This Could Be Our Future

September 1, 2019
The co-founder and former CEO of Kickstarter offers some intriguing ideas on how to create a better world. What if, in 30 years, the world was more just and generous, with an emphasis not on making as much money as possible but on living with a sense of purpose and sustainability in a community that supported positive values? With Kickstarter, Strickler created a significant change in the way projects could be funded. In his first book, he argues that we need yet another change, away from the dominant idea of "financial maximization" toward something that encompasses "a broader definition of value." Throughout the narrative, the author examines the many ways our value system has narrowed into a money-obsessed condition. He studies a variety of trends, including the consolidation of radio stations and other media; the rise of strip malls; the demise of small, family-owned stores, replaced largely by big-box stores; the stagnation of wages for average workers as CEO salaries continue to rise; the proliferation of credit cards; and much more. All of these trends point toward the fact that a thriving economy is based primarily on making a lot of money for a few people at the top. In order to shift this paradigm, Strickler presents a method called Bentoism (based on the Japanese food box), a strategy that would help people decide which of four different choices they should pick in any given scenario. The choices include self-focus, the people around us, the person you want to be in the future, and the world in which your children will live. The methodology, he writes, can move readers away from a money-focused scenario toward a system based on security, pleasure, autonomy, knowledge, and purpose. For the most part, Strickler's ideas are informative and accessible to all readers. A valid evaluation of the modern world and why it needs to shift from financial maximization to something more humane.

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