This is, in yet another nutshell, the core of the AURELIS project<\/a>.<\/p>\n From inside out<\/strong><\/p>\n As you may know, in AURELIS, this is meant as such: from inside the human being. Modern cognitive neuroscience is showing more and more what this entails. We have an immensely complex brain\/mind. We are conscious of only part of it, mainly the conceptual part.<\/p>\n Most of our vast inner landscape is nonconscious. The deeper one goes, the more this is \u2018pattern-like,\u2019 of neurons in the brain, of subconceptual elements in mind<\/a>.<\/p>\n This and sustainability?<\/strong><\/p>\n Indeed, the link \u2013 between surface-level and profound level, whether broken or not \u2013 is crucial to understanding why the world is in crisis mode within several domains. The (deeply) human factor is vital in every human field. A crisis can be seen as a pending overflow of tension that builds up long before the crisis. The striving for sustainability can be seen as the longing to manage tension at a stage where it is easily manageable.<\/p>\n If one lets the patient become too sick, the illness is harder to cure, and the damage may be permanent. There may be a scar for life. Worse, the scar can get infected, becoming an abscess or even cancer many years after the initial episode.<\/p>\n It\u2019s better to prevent than to cure.<\/strong><\/p>\n In one word: sustainability.<\/p>\n In this, the importance of the mind is frequently ignored. Yet the mind is everywhere. Of course, there is no sustainability without motivation<\/a> for the same.<\/p>\n Also, a lot of tension mounts because we mistreat the planet, as we mistreat ourselves. In the \u2018developed\u2019 world, many people are addicted to superficial products. This does not lead to profound satisfaction, through which the striving gets harder, the addiction stronger, without end unless in the depletion of resources.<\/p>\n Growth<\/strong><\/p>\n Growth by itself is not an addiction. It\u2019s simply life. Like everything in nature, we are inclined to continual growth. This natural growth is personal. The same principle also shows at the company level. The growth of any organization, if well supported, is a natural one [see: \u201cThe Growth Company \u2013 People, Planet, Profit<\/a>\u201c] and, as such, gets the green light from mother nature.<\/p>\n Yet if this striving for growth is not fueled from the inside out, one way or another, it may become an addiction. This is not sustainable. [see: \u201cSustainable Growth = Inner Growth<\/a>\u201c] If unfettered, another crisis is imminent.<\/p>\n In medicine<\/strong><\/p>\n One example is medicine itself as a whole. Costs are soaring while problems are getting bigger: chronic pain, burnout, and depression. Not surprisingly, worsening problems are present mainly in the domain of the mind and psycho-somatics. Healthcare as we know it is rapidly becoming unsustainable in totality. [see: \u201cMedically Unexplained Syndromes<\/a>\u201c]<\/p>\n In my view, a solution can only grow from the inside out by taking into account the human being as a whole. One may think, \u2018AURELIS.\u2019<\/p>\n A stark present-day example within healthcare is COVID. The mind is nowhere, yet it\u2019s everywhere and should be taken into account in search of a way to get out of the huge mess. [see: \u201cOnly \u2018Control\u2019 + COVID-Whirlpool = DISASTER<\/a>\u201c]<\/p>\n In Artificial Intelligence<\/strong><\/p>\n In many cases, A.I. techniques are enhancers of already existing issues. For instance, A.I. enables marketers to have an even more profound hold on prospects\u2019 desires, but also their vulnerabilities. Addicted people may become even more addicted (to buying superficial stuff).<\/p>\n On top of this, the A.I. of the future \u2013 call it super-A.I. \u2013 will pose existential problems that may ultimately converge into the sustainability problem par excellence, that of humanity as a species. How far are we from that? See my book The Journey Towards Compassionate A.I.<\/a><\/p>\n In general<\/strong><\/p>\n If humans align with nature inside, they are also more apt to align with the natural environment. This also makes people feel at home in their surroundings. It doesn\u2019t even need to be consciously felt. It shows as eudaimonia, inner peace, and happiness. Some tension doesn\u2019t diminish this; it is also part of nature. As said, much tension leads to unsustainability and crisis.<\/p>\n This shows in every human-related issue. From the inside out, people are inclined to appreciate nice and beautiful architecture in which it\u2019s a joy to live, work, and play. Simplicity is bound to be an essential element in this, not necessarily \u2018little,\u2019 but \u2018never too much.\u2019 This is subjective from the inside out. It is human.<\/p>\n In tourism, food, entertainment, and so on, if people don\u2019t align, they will never get enough. That may be good for runaway production, consumption, and lots of stress while demolishing nature. [see: \u201cStress in Production, Stress in Consumption<\/a>\u201c] In the end, nobody is happy.<\/p>\n Sustainability and happiness are two sides of the same coin.<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s high time to get our act together.<\/p>\n