Category: inequality

Earth Before Mars – Why Humanity Must Solve Today’s Crises First

“We continue to dream about colonizing Mars and visiting the Moon again while ignoring the rising Oceans and hungry mouths here on Earth.”

We continue to dream about colonizing Mars and visiting the Moon again while ignoring the rising Oceans and hungry mouths here on Earth. I read a recent headline that summed this contrast up for me when it was reported that ‘record heat of 2024 triggered a surge in sea level rise’, which is a headline that should give us all some pause going forward as Earth is and will remain our only place in the universe that is habitable for the foreseeable future. Still, we push forward with satellite launches, planned manned missions to the Moon and Mars, and developing other capabilities in the space realm.

Now, I have no issue with organizations and companies that seek to reach the next frontier of Space and there are real benefits for science and technology along with fomenting further international cooperation in this area. However, it is worrisome when we take our collective eye off the ball regarding real man-made issues that we have yet to solve here on Planet Earth that either are lacking attention entirely or continue to get worse (climate, poverty / inequality, wars, famine, etc.) Humanity should always dream big and continue to push ourselves forward intellectually. It is good to devote oneself to a mission when it involves curiosity, knowledge, and progress.

Space travel, universal Internet access (via Starlink, for example), breakthroughs with artificial intelligence, developing the cities of the future, etc. At the same time, we should not risk ignoring or downplaying the real urgent problems in front of us, of which there are many left unsolved. Progress matters and that has been the case throughout human history, but survival, justice, and shared prosperity should be first and foremost in terms of our priorities going forward.

There has been a trend in recent years towards apathy or not putting enough resources to end hunger, homelessness, or poverty in favor of space travel for the privileged few, colonizing planets including Mars where life, more than likely, cannot be sustained there, and mining asteroids and planets for crucial minerals and other resources of interest. There’s nothing wrong with romanticizing exploration beyond Earth and dreaming of what future generations could achieve beyond our planet one day.

Still though, that day is many decades or centuries away and right now, Planet Earth needs more of our attention than those faraway planets and solar systems. Those of great wealth, popularity, fame, and notoriety are pouring more money and resources to interplanetary dreams for themselves (most likely) rather than helping their fellow man or woman who could use their help instead. Some of the wealthy and privileged in our society seem to be hypnotized increasingly about seeking out these distant dreams rather than being part of the solutions here on Earth.

We need a reality check for everyone, including those of superior means, that there are major issues on our planet that are not going away and are getting worse in recent headlines. Whether it is climate change, wealth inequality, political instability, crumbling infrastructure, possible pandemics, wars and conflict, these are the primary issues that should capture all our attention. If we cannot make Earth a livable, sustainable, and safe place for future generations, then we do not deserve to leave the planet to colonize other planets nor set foot on Mars to begin with. All of these issues on Earth are solvable still in my view but we have to keep creating attention to these different yet interconnected problems, and to me, it is not a question of money or resources, as if we have enough money for manned missions to Mars in 5 years then there is no reason why we can’t eliminate poverty or hunger on this planet first.

Prioritizing our present and future on Earth is also not anti-progress for humanity. I am not against dreaming big or for resources to go to space travel. However, it’s about sequencing our collective priorities better going forward. Before we build a new boat, let us fix the leaks in the current boat before we sink and must abandon ship for that new boat.

There is not just innovation to be found in this current space race but I do believe also that solving present issues can accelerate innovation here on Earth. Whether it’s AI tools leading to new health cures, developments in clean energy technology building new industries here, or eliminating hunger allowing children to learn better, retain more information, and create more educated professions to solve the next challenges here on Earth. Humanity must handle survival, stability, prosperity, and justice for our baser levels before we move on to higher-level pursuits, similarly to ‘Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs’ on a planetary scale.

We are not just dealing with one or two current issues on a humanity scale right now. I can name at least five major issues that are still unresolved and are either stagnating in terms of progress or getting worse currently.

  1. Climate Change & Environmental Collapse – the most existential issue of our time and a threat to all life on the planet, more immediate mitigation is needed and on a scale of global effort to avoid the worst kind of consequences that are likely to happen in my lifetime.
  2. Global Inequality and Poverty – Billions of people still lack clean water, enough food, or a basic education, and we have the money available on the planet to solve these challenges, yet our financial capital is being spent towards other dreams like space travel.
  3. Conflict and Authoritarianism – Recent conflicts or wards along with rising political extremism threaten to destabilize humanity’s future and saps our ability to come together to solve these other problems on my list. We also run the risk of turning against each other rather than rallying our resources together to solve issues on a global scale.
  4. Public Health and Pandemics – COVID-19 showed us all the importance of pandemic preparedness, investing in science and research, and establishing early warning systems to alert the public when a pandemic takes hold. Are we prepared for another pandemic? I am not so sure and believe this is an area where more collective action is needed.
  5. Infrastructure and Governance – Crumbling systems whether its infrastructure, health care, schools, or other vulnerable institutions that fail us leave nations and peoples behind and causes inequality to grow among us. Investing in our collective futures starts with investing in our public systems in different areas so that each of us is given the best chance to succeed and contribute to society.

There is a cost to ignoring or downplaying the issues of today because we will eventually be paying for them in the future. Runaway climate change, more wars, growing inequality, dysfunctional public institutions will all impose a heavy burden on us here on Earth and technological dreams become pointless if society stagnates, ruptures, or collapse beneath the sheer weight of these issues. Space travel isn’t so great when nobody can afford to go, the Earth the astronauts come back to isn’t so pleasant, or when there’s no money to continue funding the dream because other issues became so severe, space travel couldn’t be afforded anymore. A colony on Mars won’t help any of us if we can’t figure out how to keep power grids running here or how to keep our cities from flooding from further projected sea level rise.

Let’s continue to invest in space exploration because of what good it can do for humanity but let us also not sacrifice fixing the problems here on Earth not yet solved because we want to colonize Mars or other planets. We should weigh better as a society our collective priorities and how much funding, talent, and attention we will give to our problems here on Earth vs. our future dreams on a planet far, far away.

Governments, businesses, and individuals can each play a role by changing our priorities to focus first on fixing the problems of today rather than solely focusing on the dreams of tomorrow. We should continue to vote for leaders who prioritize our current Earthly issues, participate civically in helping to draw attention to these issues, and live sustainably to start to shift attention and resources to these issues that I’ve highlighted, which affect all of us today, whether directly or indirectly.

If we devote ourselves to fixing Earth today and into the future, we won’t just survive, we will then be strong enough to reach for the stars while comfortably knowing that we have a thriving and prosperous planet that our astronauts would be returning to, with their heads held high. Ask yourself this question too: what is the one issue of our time that you can help fix today, before we start building the future on another planet many years from now? I think you’ll find that we have more power and influence than we think and that our actions today will inspire others to also act in shaping a better planet where we can both live out our days here and still dream of a space-bound future one day for generations to come.

The Megacity: A Cacophony of Humanity

“Only from above can you see how such massive populations can occupy relatively small portions of the Earth, while vast stretches of land remain sparsely populated.”

Flying into a megacity offers a unique perspective on its scale as I have done countless times over the years. From the window seat of an airplane, it’s impossible to fully grasp the size of cities like Istanbul, Mexico City, São Paulo, New York, or Los Angeles—cities that house tens of millions of people. Only from above can you see how such massive populations can occupy relatively small portions of the Earth, while vast stretches of land remain sparsely populated.

In these cities, one can sense how humanity has evolved over the centuries, transitioning from primarily agricultural societies to industrial powerhouses, and now, to the complexities of a post-industrial world. The growth of cities, especially megacities, reflects humanity’s ongoing desire to improve civilization, particularly in the realms of efficiency, innovation, and social equity.

In the 21st century, megacities are projected to grow at an unprecedented rate, particularly in Africa and Asia. New cities are expected to join the ranks of those already housing tens of millions of people, with some approaching populations of 100 million. This trend of urbanization is part of a broader pattern that dates to ancient civilizations. From Ancient Rome and Babylon to Athens, our cities have always concentrated power, knowledge, culture, commerce, and industry in urban centers. With a global population of 8 billion and rising, megacities are a relatively recent development, but they reflect historical trends toward greater urbanization. This process will likely continue throughout the 21st century.

More than ever, megacities are testing grounds for technological advancements and infrastructure developments that will shape the future. Whether it’s high-speed rail, autonomous vehicles, smart electricity grids, or renewable energy sources, these cities are ideal laboratories for innovation. Given their size and complexity, megacities allow for large-scale experiments in sustainability, from energy-efficient buildings to advanced waste management systems. These cities are also at the forefront of efforts to address current environmental challenges, integrating technologies that reduce their carbon emission footprint and improve water and energy use.

With millions of people living in near proximity, megacities serve as testing grounds for the social systems that underpin modern life: healthcare, education, and public safety. Cities with large populations can quickly reveal whether social safety nets are effective or in need of reform. These urban centers provide a direct feedback loop for policy ideas and social services, offering a unique opportunity to evaluate and improve the systems that impact the quality of life. The success or failure of these initiatives in megacities often sets the tone for broader national or even global policy shifts.

Megacities are also microcosms of global culture, where different languages, customs, and traditions coexist, creating a vibrant and diverse urban fabric. This cultural mixing is a hallmark of humanity’s increasing interconnectedness. Cities with millions of people can foster greater cooperation, creativity, and tolerance, but they also present various challenges. Integrating diverse cultures and languages in ways that promote social cohesion can be difficult, especially when disparities in wealth, power, and opportunity persist. However, megacities are often sites of cultural innovation and collaboration, where new ideas are born and tested on a global stage.

Cities are often the birthplace of new political ideas and social policies. When these policies succeed, they can be scaled up and implemented nationwide or even worldwide. Urban areas, being more densely populated and diverse, offer the ideal environment for experimenting with solutions to systemic issues, such as education reform, income inequality, or civic engagement. The ability to gather immediate feedback from a large and diverse population means that cities can rapidly assess the effectiveness of new public policies, making them key players in shaping the future of society.

The rapid urbanization of the world since the industrial age brings with it both opportunities and challenges. As cities continue to grow and scale, they will increasingly become the focal points for innovations and social experiments that shape the trajectory of human civilization. At their core, cities reflect humanity’s inherent desire to evolve, improve, and create something greater than us. The drive for progress embodied in the ambition, growth, and efficiency of urban areas mirrors our collective aspiration for a better future. However, this continued growth plans to bring more complexities. As megacities expand, they face the challenge of providing a good quality of life for millions of people while managing the unintended consequences of scale, such as overcrowding, pollution, and social inequality.

The success or failure of megacities in the 21st century has global implications. As urban centers grapple with present challenges like climate change, wealth inequality, and the effects of economic globalization, the solutions they implement or fail to implement will have ripple effects across the globe. From Tokyo to Cairo, from Bogotá to Kinshasa, these cities are testing grounds for humanity’s ability to adapt to a rapidly changing world. The development of megacities is not just a local issue or an urban issue; it is a global concern that reflects our collective ability to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

The paradox of progress is that while we strive to improve our cities and societies, we must recognize the complexities of providing a high quality of life for growing populations. The ambition to create more efficient, sustainable, and equitable urban environments must be balanced with the practical realities of physical infrastructure, resource management, and social integration. If megacities are successful in making responsible choices now, they will be better equipped to meet these challenges in the future. The decisions made today will shape the cities of tomorrow and, by extension, the world at large.

As the world becomes increasingly urbanized, the fate of megacities and urban areas will be intertwined with the well-being of all people. What happens in these cities, whether positive or negative, will affect everyone, whether they live in rural, suburban, or exurban areas. The interconnectedness of our societies means that the success or failure of urban areas will have far-reaching consequences. We must ensure that the policies and solutions developed in megacities are inclusive and benefit all members of society. The prosperity of our cities is not just the concern of city dwellers, but it is a global concern too. This becomes particularly evident to me when I fly over a city or megacity, witnessing its sprawling lights and endless streets, and realizing that the future of our civilization is unfolding in these urban spaces.

On Hierarchy

“For most of human history especially in the hunter-gatherer period of our ancient ancestors, there were no formal hierarchies as people usually lived, ate, and communed in small groups where decisions could be made collectively and were objections or differing opinions were more easily able to be heard.”

Hierarchy is one unavoidable aspect of modern life that can be difficult not to clash with from time to time. The bigger the group is, the more necessary a hierarchy is in order to ensure order and compliance. For most of human history especially in the hunter-gatherer period of our ancient ancestors, there were no formal hierarchies as people usually lived, ate, and communed in small groups where decisions could be made collectively and were objections or differing opinions were more easily able to be heard.

If you have a group of 10 or even up to 100, which is what human beings are able to hold in their memories in terms of remembering names, faces, and details about each person, such small-scale organization did not have a need for a strict hierarchy where one person was in charge of making all of the decisions or whose voice mattered more than others. On the contrary, consensus involved discussion, debate, and a common conclusion at the end of the meeting or congregation. If enough people did not agree with the decisions or the direction of the group, they would often create their own group and go their own way.

These small groups dominated for a long time in human history, but their longevity in terms of collective group decision-making was upended by the agricultural age and when people stopped roaming around the planet. Instead of being hunter-gatherers, the majority of humanity shifted to being settlers and farmers establishing larger and larger groups to form a collective society or nation where you would not know everyone in your group because that group was no longer autonomous. Agrarian, industrial, and post-industrial societies are made up of thousands or millions of people usually brought together under one flag, one state, or one nation.

While this civilizational approach has outlasted our ancient past as hunter-gatherers, our inherent need to be part of a group, to be valued, and to have purpose within that group has not gone away. These small groups had a measure of equality to them with everyone having a key purpose and having a voice regarding what issues or opportunities had come up. In a larger society, cooperation is harder to come by, inequalities can be maximized, and hierarchies are much more common due to the need to instill order and discipline among people of that society even when they feel like they are being disadvantaged in some way.

Hierarchies are not necessarily natural to us as human beings given our origins and our way of life that lasted for thousands of years but to me and others, it was a necessity in order to organize a large-scale society of thousands or millions of people. Hierarchy is not necessarily a bad system, but it can be abused by those who have power who are not held accountable for their actions or who cannot be removed from their leadership role if they do not serve the society’s interests and needs. The fight for democratic governance, for basic human rights, and for equal opportunities in a society; those values are not guaranteed especially when we organize around a hierarchy and give people power over others.

Whether it is the President of a country or the CEO of a company, a hierarchy has to be kept in check and when that leader or ruler is not making wise decisions for the people he serves in that role, there has to be a way to remove someone from that role in the hierarchy. While hierarchies are necessary in our modern world, there have to be ways for those who are subordinate to voice themselves and their views without fears of reprisal or retribution for speaking out.

To ‘speak truth to power’ throughout history has been the exception rather than the norm but for those who did it even when there were financial or personal risks involved, the larger society benefited from the actions of those people who did not remain silenced but spoke out. If a leader is committing injustices, if a manager is doing something illegal, or if a principal is abusing their power, they have to be held accountable and removed from their position especially the higher up in the overall hierarchy that they are placed.

By raising our collective voices, abuses, inequalities, and injustices can be minimized as much as possible if there are democratic safeguards created to prevent a hierarchical order from being abused. There will be those leaders who do right by their subordinates and who make their hierarchy more democratic but in case that does not occur, laws and institutions have to be able to hold those at the top of their hierarchies in check.

Whether it’s’ allowing a few of your employees at a company to have voting rights on the company’s board of directors or making them shareholders or part-owners of the company, these are a few ways to make hierarchies more responsive and fairer. By establishing term limits for those who run for public office and prevent them from being in that office for the rest of their lives so that they aren’t able to have power for thirty or forty years straight is another concrete way to control a hierarchy by allowing others to take charge. When a President or Prime Minister does something illegal or cruel, that hierarchy is not absolute, and they can be removed from office or even be charged with a crime so that people in the society will know that they are not above the law.

It’s not that hierarchies are inherently bad or negative, but they must be actively controlled and made more democratic by those who participate in them. The people who are subordinate to others within a hierarchy should be able to freely voice their opinion, concerns, or dissent when they disagree with their leader. A good leader should take into consideration those stakeholders or constituents who they are responsible for governing over and they should not prevent people from expressing their dismay or disappointment because a good leader will admit when they make a mistake and try to do better for the people under him or her.

The notion of a hierarchy having been around for all of human history is a fallacy and while it is not an ideal way to form a group with one person having power over others by claiming it, it is the only way to organize large-scale societies and nations. However, hierarchies that are successful are responsible to the needs of the people living in them, who want to voice their opinion without fear of reprisal for having done so, and to be able to vote, change, or amend the leadership from time to time so that the hierarchy does not become above the people but rather part of them in a democratic system.

While hierarchy has to be respected, it should not be absolute, and it must be as democratic as possible. A hierarchy that is unequal, unresponsive, and meant to be permanent will ultimately fail because that kind of hierarchy will lose favor with the people under it and will eventually be replaced with something better. If you find yourself under a hierarchical system that you find stifling and demeaning, don’t stick around and support it. Find your own group or place in the world where you can have a voice that is listened to, where decisions can be made as a small group if possible, and where an absolute hierarchy is unheard of and frowned upon.

Greed Is Not Good

“My hope is that the ethos paraded in popular culture and media of ‘Greed is good’ first popularized back in 1987 by the fictional character on Wall Street known as Gordon Gekko (played by Michael Douglas) will die out and be replaced by a different ethos.”

The ethos of an era or a generation usually spans about 40-50 years. I think we are living in a time of great upheaval obviously due to the COVID-19 pandemic but also due to the economic and social disruptions that occur as a result. What was thought to be as acceptable before the pandemic will likely draw condemnation and pushback after the pandemic. My hope is that the ethos paraded in popular culture and media of ‘Greed is good’ first popularized back in 1987 by the fictional character on Wall Street known as Gordon Gekko (played by Michael Douglas) will die out and be replaced by a different ethos.

I’m not sure exactly what that new ethos will become but I do fervently hope that it will push back on the notion of greed being good at all but rather a detriment to the wider society. This new ethos in the 2020s and beyond will hopefully not prioritize the pursuit of money and fame above all else but rather the pursuit of kindness, caring for others, and leaving the world better than we found it.

While Gordon Gekko is just a fictional villain and the movie ‘Wall Street’ fictional in nature, there are examples throughout our society where people actually believe the ethos of ‘greed is good’ and actively pursue it in different ways without understanding or caring about the repercussions.

I’ll give a few examples that are not from 1987 or even earlier in the 1980s but from 2020: A college admissions scandal which involved bribery so the children of well-to-do families could get into prestigious colleges without earning their admissions, Multiple U.S. Senators caught red-handed doing insider trading to profit off of a pandemic and then not admitting their wrong doing, and large firms receiving loans they likely don’t need while they use that money for stock buybacks rather than investing in the solvency of their workers during the height of this unemployment crisis.

These are just three examples of this hopefully dying ethos of ‘greed is good’ but the problem still is that these kinds of practices, while they are being condemned, they are not being cracked down hard enough and the laws have not been changed enough to prevent future misdeeds. When you have an economy that protects high income inequality, lopsided CEO-to-worker compensation ratios, and a consistent hesitancy to guarantee collective bargaining rates for employees and an ability to raise wages to livable levels, that shows that ‘greed is good’ is still a predominant ideology that is hurting the average person.

The stock market may hit all-time highs but that is good news only for those who actually own stocks and that number is only over half of Americans whereas the gains of the stock market are only truly felt by the Top 10% of income earners. The previous financial crisis of 2007-2009 showed the world how ‘greed is good’ can cause companies to go bankrupt, houses to be foreclosed, and businesses to be shuttered, while no CEO who was responsible for the subprime mortgage crisis actually went to jail. The bonuses continued to flow, and the banking system maintained its solvency, but unemployment and inequality grew for the next few years with both now increasing in 2020 even while the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit 30k for the first time.

I should state clearly that I am not against people going into business, try to make money for themselves to feed themselves and their families, and enjoying the fruits of their labor. However, when people are caught being greedy and harming others in the process as which continues to happen, there need to be harsh consequences and changes to the law. As Theodore Roosevelt knew as President, corporate oligopolies need to be reined in, broken up, and held accountable. Gilded ages may be good for the few, but they lead to disaster for the many. In this pandemic, many billionaires have seen their net worth skyrocket and their stock prices increase but at the same time, you have millions of people jobless, homeless, and in food lines often for the first time in their lives.

The ethos of a culture has to push back against this kind of greed and ignorance. It starts with condemning the actions of those who don’t play by the rules, won’t change the rules to be fairer, and who go out of their way to make life difficult and unfair for others trying to succeed. It also means calling out those people who refuse to pay taxes, use offshore tax laws to park their money elsewhere, and whose companies don’t pay a time in actual taxes while other parts of society suffer. Not only should these practices be condemned but they should be made illegal as well.

Social trust, belief in the goodness of others, and the willingness to do what’s right suffers when greed is pursued #1 above all else. The past thirty years have shown this to be true as the increased financialization of the economy as a whole, loose regulations, increased corporate influence and money in government have all atrophied our system to where we are dealing with serious labor, environmental, and employment concerns.

Not everybody who has earned a lot of money is greedy, but they have a role in helping to make the system fairer by abiding by the rules and respecting the fact that they do have a role in allowing others to have their chance to be successful. You can’t climb up the ladder and then pull it out from under you when you get there. Others who are not greedy but do well for themselves have to remember that they have a responsibility to hold those in power and those who have immense wealth in check to be consistently vigilant that they are not flouting the rules or if the rules don’t exist yet, perhaps they should be incorporated to combat unrestrained greed.

There will always be some kind of inequality and differences in outcomes in a capitalist system but there are clear signs to tell when that inequality has gotten out of control, when greed has become too prominent, and when justice or basic fairness has taken a back seat. Greed is not good, and it should be one of the guiding ethos of the next generation. Being a success, working hard for that success, and spreading that success around so others have a good shot at it is a much better philosophy to embody. What’s good for you is not always good for others. It is important that those with immense wealth or power understand that they too live in a society and there are certain duties and obligations that we have to one another.

Knowing when enough is enough, knowing the difference between right and wrong, and knowing when things have gone sideways and need to be fixed, those are all key components on pushing back against the ‘greed is good’ ethos, which has had its prominence over the past four decades. Greed can harm others, do tremendous damage, and atrophy the bonds of trust in our society. It is important that we never forget these facts and to fight against it as much as we can in our lives, both personally and professionally.