| Chapter
Seven
In the future days,
which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world
founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first
is freedom of speech and expression everywhere in
the world. The second is freedom of every person to
worship God in his own way everywhere in the world.
The third is freedom from want which translated into
world terms, means economic understanding, which will
secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for
its inhabitants everywhere in the world. The fourth
is freedom from fear which, translated into world
terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to
such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no
nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical
aggression against any neighbor anywhere in the world.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Humanity today is the inheritor
of the experience of tens of thousands of tribes and
cultures and societies and religions hunters, warriors,
nomads, farmers, mothers and fathers, children and grandchildren,
workers, businessmen and astronauts. We have used our
imagination to create new tools and ways of using them.
We have brains; we just need to use them.
Let's consider some of the impacts of
the solutions we've covered in the preceding chapters.
Pulsing Traffic immediately could allow
us at minimal cost to save a significant portion of
the oil that the USA and the world consumes daily and
help lessen the release of greenhouse gases while moving
us toward prosperity. EV2s can be produced and available
in just a few years and can continue the progress toward
independence from oil and fighting the ravages of global
climate change.
Unlimited, clean and inexpensive energy
means we can create good jobs, provide water, food,
clothing, homes, schools, medical care, recreational
facilities as well as allow us to establish wildlife
preserves for protecting our planet's biodiversity,
fisheries, plants and animals. The level of commitment
should be similar to that of WWII, which allowed the
world to focus and cooperate in unprecedented ways.
Also, this will produce increased economic activity
during the process of inventing and developing new sustainable
energy sources.
Common Sense 2 will allow us to watch
and control the watchers. Requiring the process of
governing to be open to view will force accountability
into the system. In this way, we can maintain our freedom
and democratically choose and change our leaders. This
process can start in the USA , EU and the developed
world and spread elsewhere. It will ensure our social
cohesiveness, cooperation and freedom from dictatorship.
Universal Service will let us build a
global commons while our free market system provides
the goods and services. It will allow us to muster the
resources necessary to take care of our children, elderly
and those most in need as well as give an opportunity
for our young people and adults to travel, help others
and obtain the learning skills and education necessary
for the future.
UCount will allow all of us to live without
onerous paperwork and bureaucracy. It will give us the
information we need to schedule, coordinate and create
a world we can enjoy.
The result of these solutions is that
we all can be rich enough. We can create a safe, secure
and prosperous home for every family on Earth. We can
create a society that has room for the young, adults
and the elderly. And we can do it within the lifetimes
of the majority of the people on the planet, those younger
than 25. They do not need to live in a world without
hope.
Some may say these solutions are impossible
because people aren't good, won't cooperate and won't
change. Imagine for a moment what it must have been
like before our ancestors had fire, agriculture or electricity.
They would have huddled in the dark, fearing the roars
of saber-toothed tigers and other beasts. They would
never have been able to imagine having the light, warmth
and protection their children's children would finally
enjoy once they had discovered how to manage the tool
of fire.
Our ancestors and every human being share
a core of human value based on the love of our children.
Everyone around the world in every culture, every nation,
every race and every religion wants their children to
have a better life and is willing to work to achieve
this goal. We all share this. This gives all of us an
overriding reason to come together to use our tools
to create our common future.
The question no longer is whether we can
get there, but why would anyone be opposed? Why would
anyone want to delay? Many of these solutions will become
necessary after humanity is struck by disease pandemics
or wars using weapons of mass destruction, but why wait
for millions of people to die or starve needlessly?
The discussion should now focus on how soon we will
create this better world, no longer whether it's possible.
Implementing these solutions is not an
impossible dream that would take centuries. The single
lifetime of Thomas Edison defined the transition from
an agricultural economy to our modern society. He was
born in 1847 when people plowed with oxen and mules
and moved with wagons and carts. There were only a few
steam engines in ships and locomotives. The telegraph
was a recent invention. By the end of Edison 's life
in 1931, the modern world with light bulbs, electrical
transmission of energy, automobiles, airplanes, movies
and radio had arrived.
Technology has changed everything except
our ideas. We can make the next changes intelligently.
We can use the greatest inheritance our ancestors have
left us our brains.
These solutions are achievable right now;
we have the technology. We just need to come together
and use these solutions to attack our challenges as
though they were a common enemy in wartime, like WWII.
We can do so once enough of us know about
this new hope. Then we can create a global community
quickly with wealth in undreamed amounts.
Stop and think what this would mean:
No more World Wars or genocides.
No more starvation in the
world.
No more poverty in the
world.
No more random, violent
crime and people having
to sleep on the streets.
No more illiteracy and
lack of education.
No more people without
health care or children
without vaccinations.
What we would have is a worthwhile project
large enough to put everyone to work that will result
in global prosperity.
And most important, we can do it democratically
while preserving our freedom.
When enough of us know that there is Hope
for Humanity, we will start to build our new future.
You're in charge.
All you have to do is tell your neighbor.
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