The Choice is Ours is a documentary series presented by the Venus Project. Interviews by a variety of scientists, media professionals, and other thinkers explores a variety of issues that are of social, economic, and technical interest.
The Venus Project created this informative documentary to compel the viewer into rethinking what’s possible in our world. To question the values, behaviors, origins and consequences of our social structures is of vital importance to our survival as we look to the future.
Part 1 is introduction and discussion of determinants of behavior.
Part 2 is a breakdown of problems in our present system; an obsolete monetary system. It covers the media as a tool of the established political and economic elite, corruption of all politics in all nations, and environmental challenges.
Part 3 will show solutions and proposals and will depict and illustrate Jacque’s Fresco’s life work to redesign the culture.
In one of his last interviews, Carl Sagan warned the public about questioning government officials who had no skill or capacity to lead a growing society.
Carl Sagan was highly respected for bringing the wonder of the cosmos to a mainstream audience. He balanced aspirations of human evolution with guiding advice about potential dangers to our existence.
Politics Are Obsolete
We live in an age based on science and technology with formidable technological power. And if we don’t understand it, and by we I mean the general public, if it’s a ‘oh I’m not good at that and I don’t know anything about it’. Then who is making all of the decisions about science and technology that will determine the kind of future our children live in, just some member of congress? There are only a handful of members of congress who have any background in science at all.
There’s two kinds of dangers, One is what I just talked about that we’ve arranged a society on science and technology in which no one understands a thing about science and technology. And this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is sooner or later going to blow up in our faces. Who is running the science and technology in a democracy if the people do not know anything about it?
We Must Question Everything
And the second reason I’m worried about this is science is more than a body of knowledge, it’s a way of thinking. A way of skeptically interrogating the universe with a fine understanding of human fallibility, if we are not able to ask skeptical questions to interrogate those who tell us something is true, to be skeptical of those in authority, then we’re up for grabs for the next charlatan political, religious who comes along.
It’s a thing Jefferson laid great stress on, it wasn’t enough he said to enshrine some rights in a constitution or bill of rights, the people had to be educated and had to practice their skepticism and their education otherwise we don’t run government, government runs us.
Earth is abundant with plentiful resources. Practice of rationing resources through monetary control is counter-productive to our survival. – Jacque Fresco, The Venus Project
There’s enough food and water to support the world but the illusion of scarcity won’t allow it.
Brief Introduction to The Venus Project, A Resource Based Economy
Jacque Fresco of the Venus Project gives a talk on how the monetary system prevents society from progressing into the future.
Connection with Nature is the Most Important Human Relationship
All people would be trained or educated to understand our relationship to nature. If you violate that relationship, it won’t work. All man made laws are artificial. We have to study our relationship with nature:
If we damage the air, we damage ourselves.
If we damage the oceans, we damage ourselves.
If we cut down the forests, we damage our ability to maintain health.
Profits of Corruption and War
As long as the monetary system survives, you’re going to have problems. Money, yes it does produce incentive. It also produces incentive for corruption, embezzlement, taking care of your friends, and taking care of yourself.
When people seek advantage by money, you can’t have a decent world. When you have wars and people make billions of dollars off submarines and aircraft carriers, then war becomes a terrific business.
A Future Without Waste
People would study whatever they want. There would art centers, music centers, cultural centers open to everyone, without a price tag. There would be:
No Banks
No Investment Brokers
No Advertising
No Commercials
No Armies
No Navies
No Prisons
No Police
When people have access to the necessities of life, they do not steal.
If you don’t understand, imagine people living near a big water fall with lots of fresh water. No one comes at night to steal water.
