We all began as a single cell
That divided, grew and grew.
From cell to fetus, from fetus to child,
We grew and grew,

Then adolescent, then adult
The miracle of growth at play;
From one to thirty trillion cells,
But then we stayed that way.

All life honors limits to growth at adulthood,
All systems honor limits to growth at maturity.

What would a grown up economy look like?
Intricate, stable, rich, diverse.
What would an old growth society look like?
Having a nitch in the universe.

What would a grown up economy look like?
Using only what others leave.
What would an old growth society look like?
Leaving only what others use.

All life honors limits to growth at adulthood,
All systems honor limits to growth at maturity.

Continuous progress no longer the answer;
It’s the problem.
Continuous growth no longer the answer;
It’s the problem,

Like reindeer on an island
Or algae in a pond,
Or cancer in the body.
We need another paradigm!

All life honors limits to growth at adulthood,
All systems honor limits to growth at maturity.

Continuous growth, no longer the answer;
Continuous growth is what we call cancer,


We all began as a single cell
that divided, grew and grew;
From cell to fetus, from fetus to child
We grew, and grew.

Then adolescent, then adult;
The miracle of growth at play,
From one to thirty trillion cells.
But then we stayed that way.

All life honors limits to growth at adulthood,
All systems honor limits to growth at maturity.

What would a grownup economy look like?