Happiness, Love, Sustainable Development, and the Law: The Concept of a New Social Model and the Role of State and Law

Abstract

In the article, the author discusses the main reasons for the failure to achieve sustainable development. He believes that the main reason for that failure is the excessive and one-sided orientation of Western civilization toward the material dimension of our lives. Behind that lies an even deeper mechanism that controls our actions: the human desire “to be happy”. The author believes that we are not aware that the path to happiness is associated with both spiritual and material growth, not material growth alone. Our obsession with materials is rooted in the belief that material (economic) growth is the way to happiness. We have interfered in the environment and in other people’s lives so recklessly primarily due to our material insatiability. However, love is essential in our lives, and the path to love goes through spiritual and material growth. Therefore, the author stresses the necessity of transforming the existing development paradigm into a new one with a comprehensive view of development, which will include spiritual and material growth. We should “use” the state and the law as primary tools in achieving happiness as our main goal. To achieve sustainable development, we need a “sustainable state” and “sustainable law”.