The Author
My name is John and I am an economist, with a background in development economics. I have a passion for entrepreneurs, sustainable development and spiritual exploration. I hold a master’s degree in economics and an undergraduate degree in philosophy. I have worked in rural and urban communities, industry, government, First Nation communities, inner-city neighbourhoods as well as non-government organizations trying to foster a better life for people. One of my keen interests is in exploring the synergies between spirituality and economics.
Some of the people who have inspired my thinking on this site include: Rene Gaudette and the Wonders, who acquainted me with the idea of sufficiency and abundance and who continue to dazzle me with their wisdom; Mark Webber and his insightful understanding of buddhism and the mind; as well as progressive economists like Herman Daly, E.F. Schumacker, Mark Anelski, and Tim Jackson; leading environmental thinkers like Bill Rees, David Suzuki and Paul Hawkin and of course my feisty wife, Tine, who continuously challenges me to put my money where my mouth is.
Motivation
Although I am a student and practitioner of economics, I have been concerned about the short-comings of the discipline ever since I began studying it in graduate school. I could see the large gaps in values that economics simply ignored for the sake of scientific rigour and the path to environmental degradation and hollow materialism that the consumeristic economy was leading us into. At the same time, I have been searching all my life for answers to basic philosophical questions like: what is reality, who am I, is there truth, where do I find lasting happiness and what is my responsibility towards my fellow man? My spiritual curiosity and my perceived short-comings in economic theory led me to explore a new model for economics. The site is my first attempt . It is not elegant nor perhaps even coherent; it may be considered flaky or impractical by many of my peers but it builds on something I believe sincerely in; namely that the course to a better world lies in changing our perspective of ourselves and the world and fostering a sense of sufficiency.