「根源的危機の時代」において、「コロナ危機」が既存の社会の問題を浮き彫りにし、新しい社会の方向性を模索する契機となっている。以下に要点と発展的見解を述べます。
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社会の根源的危機とは
- 二つの環境破壊（自然環境と社会環境の破壊）が深刻化しており、これが「根源的危機の時代」の到来を示唆している。
- 工業社会が追求した「豊かさ」を得るために、「存在欲求」を犠牲にし、「所有欲求」を追求した結果、社会のバランスが崩れた。
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コロナ危機と根源的危機の関連性
- コロナ危機は「根源的危機の時代」を浮き彫りにし、既存の問題を激化・顕在化させている。
- 経済成長の停滞、格差の拡大、環境問題などが相互に結びついて「危機の時代」を形成している。
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社会の目標の転換と新しい社会の必要性
- 「幸福」の追求を社会の目標とし、「存在欲求」を重視する方向への転換が必要。
- 経済成長だけでなく、社会の調和や人間関係の構築に焦点を当てるべき。
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現状の問題と挑戦
- 経済成長志向が続く限り、環境や社会の問題は解決されない。
- トリクル・ダウン効果ではなく、「幸福」を基盤とした「ファウンテン効果」の追求が必要。
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地域社会の役割と新たな運動
- 地域社会が「自然環境」と「社会環境」を再創造することで、生活困窮を解決し、幸福な社会を築く可能性がある。
- 「幸せリーグ」などの地方自治体による新しい運動が始まっている。
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希望と未来への展望
- コロナ危機が災厄をもたらした一方で、希望も残されている。
- 社会の転換と「幸福」の追求を通じて、未来に向けた希望を築くべきである。
この論文は、現代社会における根本的な問題を指摘し、新しい社会の構築に向けた方針を提示しています。「幸福」を中心に据えた社会の再構築と、地域社会の役割強化が、将来の持続可能な社会の構築に向けた重要な一歩であると言えるでしょう。
As the new year dawns, I turn 76, and my mother reaches 97. It may seem a curious tale, but my pursuit of economic studies was inspired by my aging mother, who instilled in me from a young age the notion that "things money can buy have no value; it is the intangible that holds true importance."
Perhaps it is this upbringing that led me to continually harbor the fundamental question, "Does that lead to human happiness?" while dedicating myself to the study of economics. Today, in the era of the "crisis" brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, I wish to contemplate how we can strive for a "happy society."
The "COVID crisis" seems to have unleashed every imaginable calamity upon human society, akin to opening Pandora's box. The fear that humanity is now in a "time of existential crisis," where survival is at stake, is palpable for everyone. However, I posit that we have not entered a "time of existential crisis" due to the onslaught of the "COVID crisis"; rather, the COVID crisis has struck, amplifying and bringing to the forefront the already existing "time of existential crisis."
It is evident that we were already living in such a time since 1991, when Pope John Paul II consulted my mentor, Professor Hiromi Uzawa, and issued the encyclical "Centesimus Annus" after a hundred years—a papal proclamation reserved for times of profound crisis. This encyclical highlighted the exacerbation of two essential environmental destructors necessary for human survival: the destruction of the natural environment in the human-nature relationship and, more critically, the destruction of the social environment in the human-human relationship.
The intensification of these two environmental destructors can be attributed to a historical turning point where the fundamental question, "Does that lead to human happiness?" was forgotten, and societal goals failed to shift from the pursuit of "affluence" to the pursuit of "happiness." Pope John Paul II's encyclical also pointed out that human desires encompass both "having" and "being" aspirations.
"Having aspirations" involve the desire to possess external entities such as nature. On the other hand, "being aspirations" involve the desire for interactions and harmony between humans and even between humans and nature. When "having aspirations" are fulfilled, humans experience "affluence"; when "being aspirations" are fulfilled, humans experience "happiness." The industrial society sacrificed "being aspirations" to pursue "having aspirations." In other words, it sacrificed "happiness" for the pursuit of "affluence." This sacrifice was deemed necessary to alleviate the undesirable scarcity that had plagued human history.
However, as scarcity diminished due to industrialization, the excessive consumption of natural resources emerged as a limitation. Moreover, as "having aspirations" were satisfied, there was a surge in humanistic desires, namely "being aspirations."
Looking at the graph, it is evident that in Japan, the oil shock in the late 1970s marked the proclamation of the "limits to growth." Since then, the number of citizens seeking "spiritual richness" has surpassed those pursuing "material wealth," doubling in comparison. This signifies the need to steer towards a post-industrial society that prioritizes the pursuit of "happiness" over "affluence," strengthening the bonds between humans and nature and enhancing human connections.
However, in reality, the continuous chant of "growth, growth" persisted, prioritizing the pursuit of "affluence" over "happiness." This led to the aggravation of the two environmental destructors rather than the industrial society reaching a deadlock or economic growth stagnating. The claim was made that under the welfare state's income and employment guarantees, the elimination of the fear of poverty and unemployment led to a loss of work motivation, resulting in economic stagnation.
Furthermore, it was advocated that by removing safety nets like income and employment guarantees, expanding the realm of competition, and realizing economic growth, the "trickle-down effect" would occur. This effect implied that the wealth of the prosperous would trickle down to the less fortunate, forming a positive cycle of growth and distribution. However, without a transformation of societal goals towards building a new society, even economic growth became unattainable, and the "lost decade" turned into a "lost thirty years." The trickle-down effect not only failed to materialize but exacerbated inequality and poverty, leading to fractures throughout human society.
In steering wrongly during this historical turning point, where the transformation of societal goals was crucial, the destruction of the natural and social environments intensified, giving rise to the "time of existential crisis." Nevertheless, the awareness that the COVID pandemic has assaulted the "time of existential crisis," intensifying the fundamental crisis, is widely shared.
Amid the recovery from the COVID crisis, the emphasis on "rebuilding towards a better society" and the advocacy of a "new capitalism" suggest a recognition of the mission to overcome the fundamental crisis and shape a new human society. However, in conceptualizing such a new societal vision, the fundamental question of "Does that lead to human happiness?" must be continuously posed. Neglecting this fundamental question and failing to shift societal goals towards the pursuit of "happiness" are the reasons behind the creation of the two environmental destructors and the fundamental crisis.
The plight of living in poverty is not merely due to income deprivation but arises from the destruction of survival conditions provided by the natural environment and the bonds among humans. As the COVID crisis exacerbated such hardships, relief efforts cannot rely solely on cash distribution but must also focus on establishing the survival conditions supported by the natural and social environments.
This requires not the trickle-down effect but the creation of a "fountain effect" that pushes from the bottom up, similar to springs gushing forth from the earth. However, what pushes from the bottom up is not the "wealth" trickling down but "happiness."
Human life thrives by forming and conducting itself in a "social environment" that harmonizes with the "natural environment" of the local community. As these two environments are disrupted, leading to living hardships, reconstructing the shattered environments from the local community can overcome these hardships, fulfill the "being aspirations," and realize a "happy society."
In reality, movements toward this goal have already begun, with local governments operating on the principle of "happiness" and aiming to manage local communities through initiatives like forming "Happiness Leagues."
While the COVID pandemic unleashed disasters as if opening Pandora's box, it is crucial not to forget that when the box was closed, hope remained, symbolized by the mythical "bluebird of happiness." While continuously posing the fundamental question, "Does that lead to human happiness?" we must seek the "bluebird of happiness" and let hope swell for the future.
In summary, this discourse highlights the fundamental issues of contemporary society, presenting a blueprint for the reconstruction of a new society. Emphasizing the pursuit of "happiness" and reinforcing the role of local communities appear to be essential steps toward constructing a sustainable and content society in the future.