I think some concepts and metrics of success in many Western economies are outdated, and therefore, should become either obsolete or adjusted to reflect new situation in those economies. It applies to the concept of never-ending "growth" as a measure of success, - at any level, including country, company, and even individual. Western economies, and the economic situations of these days are vastly different from the past, e.g., we could talk about "economy of abundance" vs "economy of scarcity", etc. Therefore, the metrics of success, and what is "ideal" in certain economic situations should not be the same at all times. It looks like way too many people, including decision-makers of central banks and elsewhere are not used to think out of the box. Besides that, speaking of banks, they most certainly consider their profits to be of higher importance than preferences of their clients, exactly as you are saying in another section of this article, James.