Part 1
In a perfect world, the Democrat Kamala Harris would be President of the United States and the Republican John Kasich would act as Vice President. Mike Pence, Mitch McConnel, and Kellyanne Conway would have locked themselves into Alex Jones´s closet where they would be trapped in an eternal investigation loop consisting of alternative facts, gay making chemicals, and Hillary Clintons e-mails.
Trump, Kim Jong Un, and Putin would have been shipped off to an excluded Island. Where they would be debating who´s manhood looks the largest after castration. The Brits would drink less alcohol, get their teeth fixed and finally forget about the nonsense called Brexit.
The left would give up its utopian dreams, and the right would realize the benefits of social programs and that they do not lead to Venezuela or a Stalinist gulag. President Harris and V.P. Kasich would magically have been able to unify the greatest country on earth. God´s gift to humanity could now finally lead by example and indeed be that shining city upon a hill and not the gloating cowboy making the sand glow in developing countries with their drones. The Americans would finally understand that their success is not due to their exceptional genetics, their God or their constitution, but rather due to their extraordinary suitable geography and the fortunate timing of the industrial revolution and two world wars.
Regardless of personal wealth or political affiliation, everyone would realize that a more just and sustainable version of the market economy is the only way forward. The message presented in "Wealth Inequality in America" would have changed the distribution of resources.
The economy would be structured so that the most miserable would have an opportunity to a fulfilling life, but likewise, there would be enough encouragement and opportunities for ambitious individuals to work hard and reach the stars. Well, not the stars because that is part of the problem, let´s say the highest peak of a really tall tree on a mountain top instead.
The wealthiest 20% would not be more than 30 times richer than the poorest 20%. When the personal wealth would reach 200 million the marginal tax rate would be 100%. Those multimillionaires would automatically become motivational speakers and consultants of minimalism in their new quest to create a better world. Those still eager for the American dream could give their wealth away and start a second climb to the top. A modern version of a Potlatch party if you will.
Multinational corporations´ power would be split up so that the market economy would more closely resemble Adam Smith´s misleading and unrealistic example of a free economy that all students in the western world have been taught for decades. This remarkable economic system has been hugely successful, but it has also created monsters like Facebook, Google, and Ikea.
The big banks' control would cease to exist: cryptocurrencies and open-code would lead humanity to new unimaginable accomplishments. Banking would again be a boring occupation consisting of distributing loans to a set interest rate.
News would no longer be entertainment, but boring and informative, everyone would call it; The News. Broadcasters personal opinions would not be known and of little interest. They would not be celebrity millionaires sponsored by billionaires whos biggest concerns are clicks, likes, and ratings. The only thing that would make them tick and give them a feeling of accomplishment would be to present: The News. Social media personalities would constantly fact check them with the support of blockchain technology.
Everyone would agree that all opinions are not equal. Claims presented without the support of the scientific method would be laughed at because they would only be performed as comedy on stage. "Hitchens´s razor" would be the proverb on everyone lips: "what can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence."
Everyone would be vegan and physically active. Exercise and nutrition would be the topic at parties. Some would cheat on leg day, and some would occasionally consume small amounts of animal products, which would be accepted even by the militant vegans. They, together with the few hunters still around, would also be responsible for testing new THC products. Finally some peace and quiet! Food production would be based on having the consumers eat real and local food that would not make them sick. An utopistic thought I know, but remember that I am describing a perfect world!
We would not eat Oxycontin, Ambien, and Adderall as soon as things got a bit uncomfortable. Instead, we would take the agony like a woman, figure out the reason for the discomfort and change our lifestyles accordingly.
There would be a clear understanding concerning vaccinations; both the benefits and the dangers. But the connection to big pharma, capital, and lobbying would also finally be apparent to all. The health industry would strive for the wellbeing and health of the Homo Sapiens and not for the economic gain of the Sackler family.
Trends concerning consumer goods would be based on two principles: sustainability and durability. No one would give a shit about what Kendal Jenner wears or thinks is cool. All chargers, batteries, and clips would be universal. Amen!
Kim Kardashian´s butt would have been deflated into human proportions, and the internet would be whole again. Kanye West´s and Justin Bieber´s fame would solely be based on their fantastic mime performances.
The brightest minds would not get into investment banking and videogame development but into spaceship science. Instead of addictive games and "big shorts" they would put all their energy into figuring out how to maintain life on the most sophisticated spaceship ever not created; Tellus.
All Swedes would have emigrated to Tasmania while Norway would have annexed all of Scandinavia and Finland. The Finnish language would be extinct since it is impossible to learn. We would have our borders, languages, and cultural differences, but everyone would live up to the golden rule; do unto others as you would have them do unto you, which has been a cornerstone in every single human society. So, Christians stop screaming that it is your idea! Everyone would understand, even Republicans, that this is the only home we have and our best chance for survival. All would agree that there is no God at the end of the tunnel with an eternal DMT trip with JC prepared for a selected few, however good that sounds. One basic rule would be to enjoy this one and only meaningless life and leave the spaceship in the best possible condition when checking out.
Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world. We are flawed and egocentric apes with difficulty seeing the big picture. Our brains have evolved into seeing a few feet and a few days ahead of us on the African savannahs. We easily get confused and distracted by bronze age mythology, flashing buttons, and cat videos. We have become too successful for our own good. Nothing is ever enough; we always want more. Even more than our fantastic spaceship can handle and surely more than we require. The challenges ahead of us are severe, but it is nothing we can’t handle if we finally put our minds into it.
I´m not going to lie to you; a huge pile of shit of our own making is coming our way. We have been kicking the can forward for too long, hoping that some new technology is going to save us like it has so many times before. We have desperately been trying to convince ourselves that some ridiculously insignificant crisis at hand is more important than working for the survival of our children’s future. The time of reckoning is soon here. For those who still doubt this inconvenient truth, I recommend getting familiar with "The Third Industrial Revolution" and "Deep Adaptation: A Map for Navigating ClimateTragedy." The end of the road is coming, and there is only one solution. It will be painful, it might break our spirit, some will vomit in their mouths, it will feel counter-intuitive. But trust me on this: it is the only way. We need Trump to win in 2020!
Next week I will explain why.
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