In today's society everything is about more, faster, easier making these ideas synonymous with progress but I am not convinced this is the true definition of progress. We have watched the family unit fall apart in recent years. We have watched people drift further and further apart lacking intimacy and understanding despite having a constant barrage of information and ways to communicate. I believe progress means betterment, improvement of some sort. I believe this might attained through lessening the world around us, thereby making this viewpoint progressive.
With the green movement, we have people preaching constantly how less is more. Going back to basics is becoming hugely progressive. Taking a bike instead of a car. Limiting consumption of things which will just end up in our dumps. Even a retro use of cloth diapers by many families in an attempt to do their part in making things better for future generations.
While it seems to be counterintuitive, I see progress taking new forms lately. Really considering what we need versus what we want. Older countries have been limiting their worlds for much longer than we have. Americans tended to see this as shunning progress. Maybe they were just ahead of their time in setting up for progress.
Our current ability to multi task is considered progressive, we get more done. I argue it truly makes us less effective. We have legions of children unable to focus because they are being tugged in so many directions they are never taught to prioritize the activities on their list of things to do. Again, in seeming to move backwards, I think society would make progress. It was once thought to be better to be a master of one trade as opposed to a jack of all trades. Being able to do one thing well is underrated.
Progress to me is scaling back. Making choices, sticking by those choices, and making a brighter future for all. Progress is about learning there are consequences to actions, taking time to make a decision instead of speeding through life will help ensure we are able to move ourselves and our country into the next century. We cannot only save our planet but our humanity.
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I agree that progress can be from scaling back as you so nicely put it...but it also has to come from change which is the definition of progressive...that's why so many people are advocating for change
America thinks convenience is progress. The more gadgets there are on the market to simplify our overwhelmingly busy lives, the more progress we are making towards a better future. I say we just simplify our lives instead of buying things to do this task for us - all of which come with instruction books the size of novels. instead of reading our "how to" on our new iphones, people should be picking up literature that is enlightening and informative. i agree that we must get back to basics in order to get back to humanity.
I get what you are saying about "less is more" - but you also have to consider the fact that people who ARE multi-taskers and not necessarily "masters of one trades" only have a significant part in being progressive too. Just because they don't focus on one thing only doesn't mean that they don't have the ability to prioritize.