Well-being is often considered to be the highest value to which other values can be subsumed: it is that what makes one’s life good.

Measured in terms of economic development and social justice, the model of Western welfare states has been one of the most successful societal models in the world.

For many, the economy is perceived to be the most important factor in driving the well-being of society in the future. The economy is believed to be the foundation on which the other factors depend and consequently on which the well-being of society depends.

We are faced with an economy that is evolving at an ever-faster pace.

Those who live well are often reluctant to alter their lifestyle for the good of the needy and the benefit of generations to come.

Those in poverty aspire not only to what they legitimately need to live a decent life but also to enter into the consumer culture, which pressures everyone to constantly pursue material things they don’t need.

Society transition

But many welfare states are now going through a historical transition:

Personalized solutions and individual responsibility In today’s highly specialized society, people want tailored solutions to their daily problems.

Ecological, economic and social sustainability challenges cannot be solved without individuals taking responsibility for themselves. Today’s complex society needs decentralized decision-making, which means giving individuals more responsibility for issues concerning themselves.

What are the challenges?

Our era is confronted with many challenges, among them the imperative of reconciling the demands of three timescales — short, middle and long term.

In the short term, we must respond to the immediate demands of the present economy; in the middle term, the search for happiness; and in the long term, the health of the environment and future generations.

This completely new challenge has taken us by surprise. If our obsession with achieving quantitative growth continues, with the consumption of natural resources increasing at its current exponential rate, we will need three planets by 2050. We don’t have them.

Only a unifying concept will lead us out of this complex maze of preoccupations. Altruism, — that is, having more considerations for others.

In strongly competitive societies, individuals do not trust one another, they worry about their safety and they constantly seek to promote their own interests and social status without much concern for others. On the other hand, in cooperative societies, individuals trust one another and are prepared to devote time and resources to others.

The middle way between quantitative growth and decline can be found in sustainable harmony; in other words, a situation that guarantees everyone a decent way of life and reduces inequality at the same time as ceasing to exploit the planet at such a drastic rate.

To bring about and maintain this harmony, we must, on the one hand, lift a billion people out of poverty as soon as possible and, on the other, reduce the excessive and unnecessary consumption in rich countries.

Conclusions

Less production

Less consumption

More experience

This is the challenge we as designers citizens need to overcome.

Let’s become change makers.

Let’s drive the change.