Star Trek & Money
Articles
How can a world without money work?
In the TV series and films of the Star Trek universe created by Gene Roddenberry, people live and work primarily to evolve personally. Money and the accumulation of wealth are supposedly no longer the goals. The focus is on individual development, democracy, and personal intellectual and social growth. Spaceships, cities, and many other necessities are free. Is everything really free? That sounds quite communist, as Dump Trump would surely say, and would deport people who think that way to Mars! But can a society actually function like that? I doubt it, because that would mean that everyone, without exception, would behave decently and no longer antisocially.
That's impossible. And I'm sure of it, because at no time has humanity behaved like this in any country or era. Greed is a part of human nature, but people like Trump, Musk, Putin, Lukashenko, Orban, Lindner, Weigel, and many others embody this trait more intensely than the average person. Sure, there are also many rich and successful people who haven't become wealthy and famous through brutal force and ruthlessness, but that's not the norm. If more wealthy and influential people populated the planet, we would have far fewer wars, hunger, and refugees worldwide. Then all Star Trek series and films would be more like documentaries rather than science fiction. The world and humanity are certainly not developing in this direction. Last year, 6 million crimes were committed in Germany due to greed, jealousy, envy, and many other base motives. This number says it all.
Humanity will be living at the absolute limit within the next 200 to 300 years and will then linger for an unknown number of years until its final end. Neither we nor any other human will be able to witness the Earth's regeneration to its new flourishing with a new flora and fauna.
Generation Z and those coming after are slowly disappearing from this damaged planet. Colonizing Mars, as Musk envisions in his wild fantasies, won't save humanity. Despite all optimism, the world is lost because humans lack a conscience.
Barry
