No Mail on Star Trek

I love mail carriers. The ones that I know are the best. They’re always friendly and looking for ways to help out. I have a family connection to the mail, and I have a deep appreciation for anyone who works in public services. People like Bus drivers and mail carriers all have a unique connection to our neighbourhoods and communities.

But I think I’m drawn to the connection represented in the mail. Another human touched and folded a piece of paper, affixed a stamp, and handed it to another human, who carried it to my doorstep. These letters will occasionally travel great distances and make their way by plane, train, and automobile to reach our mailboxes. A letter's journey is expensive.

This is why Christmas cards feel more personal than a free email.

I want mail carriers to do well. I want them to be able to pay rent or a mortgage, and I don't want them to ever have to worry about affording groceries. I don't wish that stress on anyone. I'm old-fashioned in the sense of seeing value in all kinds of jobs. A good future is one where everyone who wants one has a purpose and a job.

And yet... no one sends mail in Star Trek. Nor have I seen any bus drivers. I've seen all the episodes, and there is not a single story in which someone delivers a piece of mail to Captain Picard. "Sir, the mail has arrived..." I know the creators of these futuristic tales don't wake up and conceive ways to erase jobs from our imagination. A lack of traditional, handwritten mail makes sense in the 24th century.

I think this emotion is a form of grief for a world I know we can’t hold onto. How do we live in a manner that accepts the reality of the future and mourn a way of life that isn’t keeping pace?

I took this at Star Trek the Experience in Las Vegas…a treasure lost to time. I’d be back to Vegas if they bring it back!

Productivity and industry have undergone continuous evolution throughout human history.

What we value increases or decreases based on our current context. For example, would you rather have a litre of water or a Lamborghini in the middle of a desert? One is valued more depending on the context. Yet both have value. Discernment gives us the maturity and wisdom to value the $1.29 glass of water over the quarter-million-dollar vehicle. Only one of those choices has the power to extend life.

Algorithms will always tempt us to the shinier object. Social media and marketing are designed to evoke emotions quickly.

Our imaginations are sometimes quick to conceive futures in which some of our neighbors are left out. Perhaps we should slow down. Let’s consider that Humans are the glass of water and profitability is the Lamborghini. And listen…I get it, I’m someone writing a blog, not an economist.

When a public service chooses to go on strike, whether it be teachers, nurses, or mail carriers, our conversations should be guided by generous discernment. Algorithms lead to profits, and Discernment leads us to value. The pairing of generosity and discernment is a quality of leadership that we need to build the world we want to live in. It’s a kind of leadership that remains guided by hope and optimism while refusing to leave anyone behind. The alternative is much less appealing and limited in imagination. Now, generosity isn’t separated from reality; we all have bills to pay, but we need to challenge ourselves to think in terms of possibilities and not limitations. We will always value a glass of water, and we need those represented in public services to live well in our communities. All of our jobs are important, and any conversation about their value needs to be tied to the fact that we all need to buy groceries. We must be sensitive to those whose livelihoods are being threatened by the future. We shouldn’t be quick to discard anything that becomes antiquated, nor should we readily accept the first shiny options presented to us that are designed to make life easier.

There are many factors outside of our control today, but as we approach the Christmas season, many of us still have the opportunity to choose between an algorithm, a website, or a human being. Choose human! Shop in a store, buy stamps go out to a real restaurant. Let teachers know you appreciate them. This is about giving our community time to create a future that everyone can be a part of.

The writers of Star Trek have always had a space for the characters to sit and eat. A very quaint, human activity. That future featured the mess hall, Ten-Forward, Quarks, and the bar on the Cerritos. If Star Trek has taught us anything, it’s that the future will be wondrous, but we will still approach it with our humanity intact. The future we want still makes space for humans to have a craft and thrive.

A future with starships will come, but let’s get there together.

Notes:

The ideas around value and context were inspired by thoughts from Prime Minister Mark Carney’s “Value(s) Building a Better World for All.” Honestly, it was a difficult read, and a bit of a slog to get through, but I was challenged by his thoughts on the values we have for people and their jobs.

This week, I listened to Rob Bell’s thoughts on “The Ongoing And Intimate Relationship Between Grief and Imagination”. And then I listened to it again. Absolutley worth your time