Growth for the Sake of Growth

"Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell."
-Edward Abbey

It has been nearly 30 years since I first read those words. Of all the outdoor books I read growing up (there were a lot), this single quote from The Journey Home has stuck in my mind more than any other. Now, working in technology, I really do not understand the fascination with startup culture and the never ending thirst for growth on Wall Street. Both are enamered with growth for the sake of growth.

Whatever happened to a business existing to fulfil a misson, to do something really well, and in the process, provide a livlihood for a number of people and famlies? Why does a business need to continuiously continue to grow? After all, "growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell." That story always ends the same way.