Societies today are inhabited by millions; however, by evolutionary design, our communities thrive best with a maximum of 150 people. By going against the grain and developing around our current populous organizational social systems, we have lost the interconnections which holds communities together. Instead, we have isolated our lives to orientate around work. This individualistic lifestyle has created a society where we try to satisfy our missing social needs with materialism. It’s a trap where we work endlessly to accumulate more things we don’t truly want or need.

Andy Couturier explores our above behavioral patterns and looks into the lives of ten Japanese individuals who have been able to escape temporary pleasure for long term gratification in his book, The Abundance of Less. Couturier demonstrates our ability to live outside the economic system to pursue their genuine interests in self-sufficiency.

The future of work and life does not have to be balanced and separate rather, we can aim for a harmonious integration as shared by Couturier. 

Join us for an evening at the beautiful Work Wonders / Actiu space in Shanghai where, together with Andy Couturier and our audience, we will be seeking for an answer to:

• What IS the future of work?
• What is missing in the workplaces of our current times? 
• Why are individuals not engaged to their work? What might they be missing?
• How can employers create a more positive social environment at work?

Find out more here: https://taol.greeninitiatives.cn/

About the Speaker:

Andy Couturier is the American author of two books, Writing Open the Mind: Tapping the Subconscious to Free the Writing and The Abundance of Less. He is the director of The Opening, a school for creative writing. His essays and articles on ecology, sustainable living, nuclear power have appeared in The Japan Times, The North American Review, Kyoto Journal, The Oakland Tribune, etc. 

He was recently awarded the prestigious 2017 NAUTILUS literature award in the category ecology and sustainability.