The Metamorphosis of Growth (Part 3 of 3)

miracle, metaphor, myth, and magic ~ growth rings 8-10

I had no idea that as a grown up, I would keep growing up.

〰 Nyree Abrahamian 〰

Markus Spiske on Unsplash

The Fairy Tale of Growth

Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of a cancer cell

〰 Edward Abbey 〰

Magic beans grow into the clouds. Magic trees bear golden apples. Magic shrubbery produces nuts filled with glittering gowns. Magic flowerbuds burst open to birth a tiny child.

The magic of fairy tales is no doubt inspired by the real magic of organic processes in natural vegetation. Disney versions of traditional folk tales are perhaps to be blamed for the common belief that fairy tales always have a happy ending.

While this can happen, and it does occasionally, there is a particular genre, where the main characters always exit on the dark side. These are cautionary tales about human greed, long known for their catastrophic outcomes, no matter whether the protagonist ends up in a golden palace or a rusty old chamber pot.

Do you remember the tragic story of King Midas, the Phrygian royal who made history with his golden touch? Here is the original version.

The narrator doesn’t explicitly state that Midas was in the clutches of a cacodæmon [from Greek kakos = bad, harmful, evil + daimon = spirit] a malevolent spirit who baited him with tempting promises, which turned out to be self-destructive. The unhappy outcome, however, speaks for itself.

Here is my contemporary take on the Midas Myth ~ to be read as a kangaroo poem*.

Once upon a time, 
King Midas never had 
enough.
For those who aspired 
to be 
like him, the sky was no limit.
Infinite financial growth 
sprouted 
an enchanted skyline of self-
propagating megalomaniacs.
Enchantment with unlimited 
growth 
bounded through their veins, 
a spell cast on them by invisible sorcery.
Incantations of continuous economic growth 
swelled 
into the battle cry of hordes of sidekicks and sycophants.
The once personal cacoethes spread like virulent 
pestilence, infected communities, 
tribes, 
nations, continents,the whole world 
In a collective cacophony, the 
entranced masses were 
called 
to worship the cacodaemons 
determined to plague our 
home 
planet with their wicked curse. 

The ending of this tale is open… Feel free to grow your own.

*If you decide to have a go, please note that this is written in the format of a kangaroo poem. Not a poem about kangaroos(!) but a ‘joey poem’ inside the ‘mother poem’s pouch’ so to speak.

The term is borrowed from ‘kangaroo word’ (= words that contain their own synonym, e.g. chocolate ›› cocoa; deception ›› con; feast ›› eat; honourable ›› noble, masculine ›› man; respite ›› rest)

∞∞∞∞∞

The sad experience of His Golden Highness King Midas is also captured, in principle, in Grimm’s Fairytale of The Fisherman and his Wife.

One day, a poor fisherman catches a flounder who turns out to be an enchanted prince. The fish pleads with the fisherman to let him slip back into the sea. Being a kindhearted fellow, the angler obliges and trundles home, with nothing to contribute to the dinner table.

Hearing of the magical encounter, triggers the fisherman’s wife. ”You caught a magic flounder and let him go without making a wish?!” she asks. “Are you kidding me?!”

You don’t meet an enchanted fish every day, after all. Moreover, the disappointment about no catch, and pangs of hunger may have added to her irritable response.

“What am I supposed to wish for?” the husband replies.

“Well, living in a proper house, instead of having to make do with this pisspot would be a good start.” the wife suggests.

The following day, the henpecked fisherman drags himself to the shore, calls the flounder back, tells him what happened, and the enchanted prince grants the fisherwoman’s wish.

Instead of being grateful for the fulfilment of her wish, the fisherman’s other half becomes increasingly greedy and discontent. She keeps asking for a bigger and better house. She gets a palace, then a whole kingdom. She becomes queen, then the pope, but nothing can satisfy her hunger.

The fisherman and his wife end up back where they started, living unhappily ever after in a rusty old chamber pot by the sea.

8th growth ring

External growth doesn’t automatically trigger or sustain internal growth.

Illustration of ‘Der Fischer und seine Frau’ © Werner Klemke (1917-1994), award winning artist, illustrator, print-maker, graphic-designer, and art teacher

The Growing Clan

The complete metaphor of growth draws a connecting line

between natality and mortality.

〰 Deniz Utlu 〰

In a similar vein as the oral traditions drawing insights from the natural environment, the lore of infinite financial and economic growth has been inspired by biomimicry (which in itself is man-made).

Precedents of dizzying wealth, amassed by a relatively rare specimen of humans gives the impression, as if money has the ability to grow ~ like magic ~ all by itself. These individuals seem to have the superpower of the mythical King Midas, who could turn anything into gold by simply touching it.

While the story line continues to bewitch a few protagonists transfixed by the mirage of a profit-and-grow-rich-narrative, many more become disenchanted with scenarios of teetering on a precarious cliffhanger. Especially with a plot that harvests human lifetime and treats its owners as disposable resources, with a twist to turn anyone into a villain.

The magic spell of money trees, planted for a golden future of all, is proliferating under a sinister curse. Exponential growth is the rallying call of ruling economists, financiers and their minion politicians.

“But growth is natural!” they argue. “Growth is necessary for life to continue.”

They are right, of course. Growth is the heart of life. We live and survive at the pulse of growing.

At the same time, unsettling questions are sprouting in the cracks of the utopian fields of gold:

If this is economic growth ~ and growing is a core process of living ~ why are so many of those on whom the economy depends struggling to have a life?

If growth is dependent on its environment and inseparable from it, how can the economy grow while killing our ecosystem?

Growth / to grow obviously are words used with very different meanings in different contexts and by different people with different intentions. In other words,

All that mickles is not growth!

Here is an (incomplete) list of verbs related to the act of growing ~ not etymologically, but in terms of content and the meanings the carry:

Abound [from Latin abundare = to overflow, run over; from ab = away + unda = wave] to rise, come together in great numbers, occur in great quantity, grow in profusion

Adult [from Latin ad = towards + alescere = to nourish, increase, grow up] to grow into adulthood

Age [from Old French aage = long but indefinite time, life time] to grow old, live a long time

Augment [from Latin augēre = to increase / augescere = to begin to grow] to make larger, increase

Author [from Latin auctare = to increase, past participle of augēre] to originate, to cause to grow

Authorise [from Latin auctare /augēre] to confirm as true, endorse, empower

Become [from Old English becuman = happen, come about, befall] come into being, to change from one state of existence to another

Beget [from Old English begietan = procreate, father] to procreate, initiate growth of new life

Bloom [from Old Norse blomi = flower, blossom] flourish, thrive, produce flowers

Blossom [variation of bloom] with the same sense in the literal meaning. Definitions differ when used in the figurative sense.

Breed [Old English bredan = bring to birth, procreate] bring brood to hatch, incubate, gestate, produce, procreate, nurture, mate, promote growth

Bud [from Middle English budde = grow new flowers or leaves in their initial stage] to sprout new growth

Burgeon [from Old French borjoner = to produce buds] bud, sprout, develop new shoots, send forth new growth

Coalesce [= from Latin co = together + alescere = to be nourished, grow up] to grow together, unite, become one in growth

Convalesce [= from Latin con = together + valescere = to grow stronger] = to grow stronger, grow better after sickness, recover

Create [from Latin crescere = to arise, be born, increase, grow] to produce, procreate, bring into existence, breed, generate, regenerate, to make grow

Cultivate [from Latin cultivare = to care, plant] till the soil, prepare for growth

Decrease [from Latin decrescere = to lessen, decrease] to diminish in size, grow less, grow smaller

Degenerate [from Latin degenerare = to be inferior to one’s ancestors] to deteriorate, decline, move along the downward part of the cycle of growth

Develop [from French développer = to unwrap, unfurl] to unfold from one stage to the next, to grow from one stage to the next, to facilitate such growth

Diminish [from Latin diminuere = to lessen, make smaller] to grow less in size or quantity, to become or appear smaller, to lose in value or importance

Fledge [from Old English flycge = to acquire feathers] develop feathers and wings, become fit to fly, to grow feathers

Flourish [from Latin florere = to bloom, blossom, flower] to grow, thrive, produce flowers, prosper

Generate [from Latin generare = to breed, procreate] to beget offspring, give birth, produce, grow the tribe

Germinate [from Latin germinare = sprout, produce shoots] bud, grow, show the initial signs of grow

Increase [from Latin increscere = to grow, increase] cause to grow, enlarge, become greater or larger in size or number, swell, grow into

Mature [from Latin maturare = to ripen, bring to maturity] grow into a state of ripeness, bring to completion; become due (payment)

Mickle [Old Saxon mikil = much, abundant, great, intense] to become great, make great, magnify, become abundant. (the old English word mickle is now extinct but survives in the familiar word much.)

Much [Old English mickle =. ] to make much, increase, grow bigger. (the old English verb much has died out but survive as the familiar adjective describing a large quantity or extent. Both mickle and much are thought to share their etymological roots with the popular Greek word mega.)

Multiply [from Latin multiplicare = to enlarge] to grow in quantity, increase in number; enrich

Nourish [from Latin nutrire = to feed, nurse, foster, support] to promote growth or development

Nurture [from Latin nutrire] to bring up, rear, support growth through food, nourishment and education

Obsolesce [from Latin ob = away + solere = to be accustomed to, to be used to, cohabit] to grow old, grow out of use, become obsolete

Originate [from Latin origo = beginning, source, ancestry] to arise, bring into existence, give birth to, start to grow

Procreate [from Latin procreare = to beget, produce] to give birth to, generate, reproduce, produce offspring, grow the tribe

Progress* [from Latin progredior = to advance, move forward; from pro = forward + gradior = step, walk] to develop a higher, better, or more advanced state

*the verb to progress was obsolete in 18c. English, but revived or retained in America, in the sense of to continue forward on a course.

Progressing, in the sense of moving forward, is only a distant relation of growing through the movement of walking. It is included in this list because ~ in the economic and financial vernacular ~ growth is often erroneously equated with the noun progress.

Proliferate [from Latin proles = offspring + ferre = to bear, carry] to bear children, increase in number, grow the tribe

Propagate [from Latin propagare = set forward, extend, spread, increase; multiply plants by layers, breed] to reproduce one’s kind, grow plants from an ancestral specimen

Prosper [from Latin prosperare = cause to succeed, literally towards one’s hope] to thrive, flourish, grow well and successfully, to grow towards good fortune

Regenerate [from Latin regenerare = to bring forth again] to renew (cells, tissues, body parts; energy, vitality), to grow again, produce anew; (in theology) transform or change from a natural into a spiritual state

Ripen [from Old English ripian = to become mature] to grow to maturity

Senesce [from Latin senescere = to grow in age, decay, wear out] to grow into old age, to wax old, begin to decay or wear away

Sprout [from Old English sprutan = to spring forth as a bud] to grow first shoots

Thrive [from Old Norse þrifask = to grasp to oneself] to flourish, prosper, grow in size, mature, advance in growth, develop into a strong and healthy specimen

Vegetate [from Latin vegetare = to enliven, animate] to grow as plants do, to be endowed with the power to grow physically

Wane [from Old English wanian = to become smaller] to grow less, diminish, decline, fade

Wax (v) [from Old Saxon/Germanic wahsan = to grow, prosper] to grow bigger or greater, to increase

9th growth ring

Growing sustains itself through continuous degenerating and regenerating processes.

Filip Urban on Unsplash

Growing Up

Anyone who believes exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world

is either a madman or an economist.

〰 Kenneth Boulding 〰

Growth ~ used in the same breath as financial, economic, political power ~ implies a competitive race to the top.

In anthropocentric language ~ applied to the military-industrial complex, ruled by economo-political interests ~ growth means primarily increase in quantity and technological progress. It means accumulation of infinite sums of money and assets, rising numbers of the GNP, expansion of political influence, more sales of more stuff to more customers. It means striving for the biggest armies, the most lethal weapons, the greatest power over others, to gain ultimate control and dominance over largest areas of the world.

This is a man-made phenomenon. Despite being persistently described as a ‘natural living process’ this type of ‘growth’ is very different from any biological process. What economists, financiers, and politicians get excited about is not just growth, but exponential growth.

Exponential growth is presented as the highest ideal to strive for. Worshippers of this type of growth defend it as a ‘natural process’, allegedly ‘necessary for survival of the economy’.

This is partially true. Exponential growth does occur in nature. Here are some examples:

Bacteria develop exponentially in optimal conditions.

Invasive species can grow exponentially when entering new habitats with plentiful resources.

In the healthy human organism, exponential growth is primarily observed in cellular processes and early embryonic development.

At the cellular level, pathological exponential growth occurs during cancer cell proliferation.

Immune responses show exponential growth in initial stages to combat the threat of a pathogen.

Parasites grow exponentially, taking advantage of the weakness and dying process of their host.

It's important to note that all these processes exhibit exponential growth initially for a limited period. They eventually slow down due to various limiting factors such as space constraints, nutrient availability, and regulatory mechanisms. Exponential growth is only one phase of a complete growing cycle. It is invariably followed by decline.

Economic and financial growth, compared with natural processes, show characteristic behaviour patterns of cancerous tumours, or parasites feeding off a dying host organism.

10th growth ring

Exponential growth in nature is either regenerative and short lived

or degenerative and leads to death. Unlimited exponential growth doesn’t exist.

P.S. Given that growth never happens in isolation, I was curious to find out more about how the tragedy of King Midas affected his nearest and dearest. Here is what I learned from his wife, Queen Hermodike, captured in Carol Ann Duffy’s poetic voice. Because of what happened all those centuries ago, she now prefers to identify as Mrs Midas (or so Ms Duffy assumed).

...
I thought to myself, Is he putting fairy lights in the tree?
He came into the house. The doorknobs gleamed.
...
He sat in that chair like a king on a burnished throne.
The look on his face was strange, wild, vain. I said,
What in the name of God is going on? He started to laugh.
I served up the meal. For starters, corn on the cob.
Within seconds he was spitting out the teeth of the rich.
He toyed with his spoon, then mine, then with the knives, the forks.
He asked where was the wine. I poured with a shaking hand,
a fragrant, bone-dry white from Italy, then watched
as he picked up the glass, goblet, golden chalice, drank.
It was then that I started to scream. He sank to his knees.
After we’d both calmed down, I finished the wine
on my own, hearing him out. I made him sit
on the other side of the room and keep his hands to himself.
...
Separate beds. in fact, I put a chair against my door,
near petrified. He was below, turning the spare room
into the tomb of Tutankhamun. You see, we were passionate then,
in those halcyon days; unwrapping each other, rapidly,
like presents, fast food. But now I feared his honeyed embrace,
the kiss that would turn my lips to a work of art.
And who, when it comes to the crunch, can live
with a heart of gold? 
...

If you want to know the full story, read the incredible poem Mrs Midas by Carol Ann Duffy here.

P.P.S Having given Mrs Midas her say, I must add a caveat that we can’t fully rely on her memory. In the end, King Midas managed to persuade Dionysos, the God of Vital Force who had granted him this wish, to reverse the terrible curse. Phew!

Turns out that some folks can have their craziest wishes granted AND be saved from the consequences too.