Galactic Economy

When I was a boy I dreamed of being able to travel to the stars. I used to watch Star Trek and other science fiction stories that imagined space travel and new planets. Just think of all the amazing things to see in the universe.

As time went on this adventurous dream transformed into a practical one. Though I became more skeptical over time I still remember my friend Matt exclaiming that humans had to leave earth in order to survive. Since then this mantra has been repeated by no less than Stephen Hawking amongst others. Survive what exactly, I should have asked? We both knew that the sun has an expiry date but I think he was thinking of a more civilized demise. After all we are our own worst enemies, destroying our landbases and ensuring that our children and their children suffer to the point of extinction.

Last night as I walked to my partner's parents' house, a thought came to me. They live in a well-off neighbourhood. All the nice houses and fancy cars made me think that we have chosen to obliterate the earth as soon as possible. It will be achieved through the standard channels: extreme over-consumption, depression, climate change, the toxification of the environment. If civilized humans have their way, and we brook no challengers, we can achieve our goal in a few generations. I know this is nothing new.

My important thought revolved around that imagined colonizing of the stars. Had the global economy and the people who drive it not facilitated this instant carnage . . .

(that would make a great song wouldn't it:

Instant Carnage's gonna get you,
Gonna knock you right on the head,
You better get yourself together,
Pretty soon you're gonna be dead,
What in the world you thinking of,
Laughing in the face of love,
What on earth you tryin' to do,
It's up to you, yeah you.)

. . . and instead have dreamed bigger and slowed down 'economic development' (i.e. destruction of life) they might have come up with a plan to obliterate the whole galaxy and just maybe the whole universe. Think Avatar but don't bet on the natives. Just imagine all the other habitable planets that the galactic economy and its minions could ravage and leave barren.

But maybe we could and can never leave our one and only home. Kind of makes it worth fighting for.