They told us to go to school and universities, to get work and have a job. To join the labor market, and the production wheels of agriculture and industry. They also said do profitable research and innovate. Get patents and open businesses.
They told us grow big and join the growth-economy ‘Take, Make and Waste’. It was supposed to be a linear economy but for some it meant an exponential economy. They told us move from land and go to cities. Be an urbaniser, get a house and build a family. And we did all of this. But then.
They told us, it is becoming crowded, so remain in competition. It is with no limits and enough became not enough. They told us, it is for our survival. To be promoted, get a decent job and move to a smart city. To afford processed food and have bottled water on your table. But then.
Then they told us, get better clothes, be dressed-up and consume more to fit in smart cities. Have a dishwasher, a laundry, a car and be more on the roads.
But this wasn’t enough, work more, even harder and move faster, get a smart phone, go digital 24/7, travel ultrarapid by air to join globalisation and to trade online. Be much smarter, get a robot, be boosted by Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to win the game.
Then, if you still have time, escape the busy life in cities, be on holidays far away in a quiet place and relax.
They told us, if all of this isn’t the solution for quality-life, then no worries it would be new possibilities for another life, a better life on Mars.
They forgot to tell us, the planets’ natural resources are finite and we need responsible production, sustainable use and wise consumption, until it became late. Even too late.
They forgot to tell us, in this digital era we aren’t only competing with each other, we are also competing with fixed digital frames, robots and intelligent machines that if we fail to control them, they will control us.
They forgot to tell us, that we need clean air to breath and pristine water to drink. They forgot to tell us, we need healthy and wealthy biosphere with free eco-system services.
They forgot to tell us, what energy is and we need the sun. Better life-quality under the water and on land with fertile organic soils for nutritious, healthy and unpolluted food.
They forgot to tell us, green forests in a clean atmosphere can mitigate our planet from heating-up. They forgot to tell us, we need our waters and the environment to be free from plastics, waste and pollution.
They forgot tell us, we need to have a social life. Be humans that can serve, get served with quality in focus. They forgot to tell us, there would be new generations to take over after us.
Yes, they forgot to tell us, how to live a life worth living, they even keep and keep forgetting and by the end it is becoming more and more etched in our genes.
Goals ‘the UN-SDG’ and COP-Conferences with no steps, sacrifices and effective actions are just a wish. Merely a wish to escape from what is known as the Anthropocene.
So, no worries we can dream and still dream about a new Life on Mars.