 I hope this letter finds you in good
health and spirits. If you are, it probably means that the generation I'm
part of got it's act together soon enough to keep the life support system
you now enjoy healthy and productive.
I shudder to think of what your world
is like, if we who live today don't get our act together in the not too
distant future. Why? Because, in our present, our economy is rapidly using
up your ecological future.
As I'm writing this I cannot see into
the future in any specific sense, but I do see two general directions it
can take.
On the positive side, and what I work
for and hope for, I see the strengthening of democracy, and the protection
and expansion of the basic human right to be free. Free to do anything we
want as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else or restrict their freedom. The
only exception to this are minors, whose freedom must be restricted to some
degree for their own well being until they reach adulthood.
I see the creation of a strong, vibrant,
completely sustainable economy, rich in meaningful business and employment
opportunities and rich in goods and services at affordable prices. An economy
that doesn't deplete our planet's ecological capital; doesn't deplete the
fertility of our soils, contaminate our air, water, or land; and that treats
everyone fairly and kindly.
I see the percentage of CO2, methane,
and other green houses gasses in our atmosphere being the same as they were
at the turn of the 20th Century. I see our planet's ozone layer being completely
restored and weather phenomena like tornados and hurricanes, on average,
being less sever.
I see a renaissance in all sciences.
I see a rapid increase in space exploration and commerce, including a space
debris defense system to detect large space objects on a collision course
with earth and to deflect these objects or bring them into earth or moon
orbit for mining.
I see people living increasingly longer,
healthier, more meaningful lives through a combination of preventive measures
like good nutrition and training doctors to utilize and build on the best
of all the medical knowledge available world wide.
I see a renaissance of consciousness
and the blossoming of fairer and kinder ways of enjoying and benefiting
from each other's gifts, and the bounty that our planet's life support system
can sustainably provide us. I see ourselves, as individuals and as a species,
ever increasing our understanding of existence and our place in it, and
our capacity to use this knowledge wisely.
On the negative side, I see disaster
and even the potential extinction of the human species.
Short of extinction, I see our species
declining rapidly both in population, cultural sophistication, and knowledge
in a descending spiral of social, political, and ecological chaos and a
world filled with pain, suffering, sadness and regret.
As I said in the beginning, I hope this
letter finds you in good health and spirits. If this is not the case, at
least you will know that some of us, in our time, devoted our working lives
to creating a future in which you would flourish. For your sake and ours,
I hope we succeed.
Peace and love,
Jim Bell
P.S. I invite you to read my book, Achieving
Eco-nomic Security On Spaceship Earth, subtitled, Using Free-Market-Forces
To Save Our Life Support System. Quite simply, the book is about how to
gracefully make non-sustainable economies sustainable in ways that are a
win-win for everyone. You can download this book from the web at www.jimbell.com,
free of charge, or you can order a paperback copy by calling (619) 281-1447.
If you think the book makes sense, let's
work together to create a future, our descendants will thank us for.  | 
