“PICARD: The economics of the future are slightly different. You see, money no longer exists in the 24th century.”

LILY: You mean, you don’t get paid?

PICARD: The acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force in our lives.”

- Captain Jean-Luc Picard & Lily Sloane in “Star Trek: First Contact”

* * * * *

Implementing solutions to large-scale problems requires an approach of cooperation, not competition.

Currently, in many fields of thought America insists on competing. It is ingrained into the American ‘way of life’. Competition is good to bring out excellence, but being extremely competitive inside a society undermines its foundational strengths.

What everyone must realize is that when I speak of being extremely competitive inside of a society, I am not just talking about America. The society, everyone must come to realize, is the entirety of human civilization. We are a global society now.

The industrial system is, in part, based on acquiring resources from ‘the outside’ and bringing them in. Increasingly efficient methods of extracting natural resources used by an increasing population are going to have consequences. It becomes clear that the Earth does not have ‘unlimited’ resources to acquire.

This is where reclamation of old resources is required. We cannot Appeal to Tradition simply because it is easier. Complacency is not a substitute for the essential ingenuity required for survival of humanity. We can scheme new ways of inventing capital, digging up the same resources, and playing ‘King of the Hill’, but clearly the “old ways” of doing things aren’t working so well any more.

Many people are feeling restless these days, as if they are missing some puzzle piece in their lives. I would posit to say that what is missing in the lives of people is satisfaction. I have discussed ideas as to why there are problems, but as I said before, we need to stop debating the problems (or that there is a problem) and take action with the
solutions.

“Here we have a Scales that balances two different things… on one side we have gold bars! MMM…mmm! Don’t they look ‘good‘? I’d just like to have some of them gold bars…! …On the other side of the Scales, um, the ENTIRE PLANET! Hmm… hmm… Number one: if we don’t have a Planet… (laughter) …The other reason is, if we do the right thing, then we’re going to create a lot of wealth, and we’re going to create a lot of jobs…” - Al Gore, an Inconvenient Truth

The new game is about creative collaboration. The new way is about co-operation, about balance, about harmony.

We need a new approach as a society, as a civilization, and as a species.

“Once you choose hope, anything’s possible.” - Christopher Reeve