“As for the future, your task is not to
foresee, but to enable it.”
-- Antoine de
Saint-Exupery
Many years ago I came across ecological economist RobertCostanza’s article: “Four Visions of the Century Ahead: Will It Be Star Trek,Ecotopia, Big Government or Mad Max.” In this piece Costanza describes four
outcomes for the human experience at a global level: A future he names Star
Trek where technology comes to the rescue and solves many of the challenges
that we face; Mad Max, named after the movie depicting a breakdown of society
with scarce resources and in which chaos ensues; Big Government, a future which
involves the curbing of market forces by government policies that benefit the
common good; and Ecotopia, named after Ernest Callenbach’s book, in which a
shift happens in which localized, eco-centered communities flourish.
It’s hard to predict which future scenario will take hold. More
important, perhaps, is for us to envision what we want; what we want in our
personal lives, for our family and loved ones and for our communities. Beyond
the community level, the scale becomes difficult to comprehend. At the personal
scale, Star Trek is where we get consumed in our personal devices and lost in
technology missing opportunities for face to face interactions. Mad Max is
where our lives are out of balance and chaotic and our destructive behaviors
take control; Big Government is where we refuse to take personal responsibility
and let others (Big Government) decide for us; finally, Ecotopia, we revel in
the simpler ways by refusing to incorporate modern technology yet live in
closer harmony with natural systems. There may also be a combination of
outcomes that best fits our temperament and personality. Which are you drawn to?
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