Comments by "nrusimha11" (@nrusimha11) on "Did India run hard for 75 yrs to stay in ‘same’ place -Political meaning of Ruchir Sharma’s insights" video.

Some of the comparisons are simplistic, in my simple-minded opinion. Going from 30+ year life expectancy under British occupation to 70+ years now as an independent country is real, tangible progress. So are a number of social indicators, including in education. GDP is not just about individual wealth; it is also about excess wealth that governments can use to buy national security, e.g. warships and supersonic missiles. Again, there is no comparison to 75 years ago. Finally, it is a fair question to ask, as the wise have already done, if all countries aspire to 'western' level of consumption (which is really what we are talking about when we say wealth), is there enough trees, water and air to sustain it? At some point, all countries will have to assess whether there is a medal to be won at the end of the rat race of countries, or if all countries have to ease off the gas pedal of consumption and reasess what development means, beyond equal access to health, education, and a social safety net.
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"Proper socialism" is Utopia. Policymakers have to contentd with real, unchanging, human behavior. I believe America's founding leaders discussed this when framing their form of government in the late 1700s. Having said that, government should get out of the way of people who can run faster, within the rules, and use some of the excess output to invest in social services.
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@NoNonsense_01 yes and no. As they say in Thermodynamics, there is no such thing as a free lunch. ‘Western’ countries do have cleaner environments. Part of it is better care. Part of it is outsourcing the pollution to poorer countries that produce the goods the ‘west’ consumes. Also, you shd reread my sentences starting with, “At some point, ALL countries…”.
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@sarthakmohanty1006 Which is precisely my point as well. What I am saying is, generally speaking, is the ever-moving target of highest possible consumption (which GDP practically stands for), the 'best' that everybody else will measure themselves to? At US rate of consumption, the earth will be stripped bare in a few years. Then what do we do? The conversation around, and the benchmarks for development have to change.
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