What Kind of Prosperity Are They Looking For

The question is with the Arab Rising and the emergence of China is what kind of prosperity are they seeking, the form found in America or that of Europe.  Well with the Arabs they are seeking freedom and with that freedom concurrent prosperity.  As for the Chinese they may dream of freedom but on the surface at least are satisfied with prosperity.

 

It seems unlikely that they want American prosperity with its do it on your own individualism and paramount property rights.  It is more likely that they want a European social safety net of health care and other social services with relatively higher incomes then they have known in the past.

 

One suspects that after suffering for so long they would choose European style high leisure time with its high productivity as compared to America’s limited leisure time and somewhat lower productivity.  This leads one to wonder what do Americans really want.  Don’t they want more leisure time and higher productivity as well?  Don’t they like the Europeans want time as Jeremy Rifkin says, “To smell the roses.”

 

Yes one can say that all eyes are turning to the European model and that includes rising nations and even those established industrial nations for aren’t we all working for life in a rose garden rather than a sweat shop.