Ted Stalets's Page

Do you believe we're now in a global emergency?

Yes

What does climate change mean to you?

Lots of hardships (floods, droughts, severe weather related calamities, population shifts, food scarcity and inequality, etc. - for a vast number of inhabitants in the biosphere.

What does peace mean to you?

For world peace, we must have world law (law for people not international law for nation states). For world law - we need a democratic world parliament that is empowered to legislate on global issues (not usurp the power/sovereignity of nation states) - however one main law in addition to people's rights is the law to end war - to criminalize war between nation states.

What does community mean to you?

Since the advent of the Internet, community has taken on a much more encompassing meaning than "community of a couple decades ago". We are no longer bound geographically in our close relationships. With the advent of web conferencing and social media - community means like minded people geographically and culturally and spiritually and economically dispersed - can come together and form a new community power - some call this "the power of crowds".

What does politics mean to you?

Politics is basically the art and science of keeping societies running throughout time - with minimum conflict. Politics must have trust - or the concept of politics breaks down. Trust can only be earned through a concept of total transparency. Transparency is thought of as a digital fishbowl for politicians - they must be totally "open". Transparency is the antidote for corruption - and one of the biggest challenges for politics in the future is to balance personal rights with transparency...

What does money mean to you?

Money is nothing more than a medium for the exchange of value. Buckminster Fuller defined wealth as the increasing of forward number of days which we may enjoy life. Advances in biomedicine will at first be enjoyed by the wealthy (have money) but as all information science is progressing geometrically - antiaging will travel the same road as other information technologies like computer memory - allowing us to do more and more with less cost. As robots take on much of the workforce in the next few decades - we still need to keep a consumer society in place and there are many great ideas to address this potential high unemployment brought upon by technological advancements.

What makes you truly happy?

A baby's smile, my dog's greeting upon coming home, a movie which resolves into much love, an enduring hope for a better future. Most of all - my family - wife and children... Then my extended family - friends and acquaintances. Then all inhabitants of the biosphere makes me truly happy as I love all things.