The Ragnarök Project
The Whole Idea:
This section gives a broad-stroke overview of the project and its goals. Each item mentioned below can be found explicated in greater detail under the appropriate headings at the top. Further, any questions, ideas, concerns, or random wisps of thought that float through the mind can be pursued in the forum.
The problem:
Right now, we are facing the 6th mass extinction on this planet. All legitimate scientists are pointing to huge global issues, hundreds of millions of climate refugees, lower brain cognition due to changes in chemical composition of the air we breathe, rising temperatures and sea levels, and more. The list of problems that we must solve is, essentially, endless. However, this is because we are struggling to continue forward using an outdated and inefficient model of business that slows growth and pits people against each other, primarily demonstrated in the lower class. If we can alter the basic failing system to better reflect the abilities and potential that we have as a global community, including every individual as a positive contribution to the global economy, we could alleviate essentially every single problem that one can imagine, from war to hunger to poverty to disease to potentially high speed space travel and even possibly infinitely extended life. This is the strike at the root of evil. All it takes is restructuring of the basic system to benefit all at the same rate, and we can completely eliminate most forms of necessary evil as they exist without ever lowering the quality of life or the costs for a single person. In fact, this will only ever increase the quality of life for every person.
What the project is:
The Ragnarök Project is a re-engineering of a business entity and the way humans interact with each other and the planet to maximize all potential available. The goal of this is to provide both a high quality of life as well as the opportunity to export that quality of life exponentially. This will be done starting on a small scale to demonstrate the feasibility of the concept. The beginning investment required is relatively minimal, and the beauty of the system is that, unlike capitalism, it is self sustaining and infinitely expandable. Similar to the method Amazon has expanded to incorporate more than just books, except we eliminate corporate payouts in exchange for expansion into new fields, all of which are freely available to those within the system.
Where to begin:
The first step is the establishment of the new system. Though sounding daunting, this step is relatively easy. A decent plot of land, preferably located in a mountain range for best possible use of location, is required. On this land, investment will be made in the capacity of funding startup projects or building off of existing projects in fields such as agriculture and energy in order to establish a zero or negative deficit foundation to work with.
Once this foundation is established, any additions to a zero base line can only be gains. For instance, with basic food, energy, and housing needs provided for, it would be possible for the individual members of the project to utilize the full extent of their abilities in their respective fields without hindrance. Any subsequent additions of members on the same system will allow for immediate growth with almost zero additional costs, short of expanding the originally existing infrastructure.
The next step:
With small projects set up in various areas throughout the world, the various problems that confront the globe can be countered locally and efficiently, utilizing the best the local population has to offer to benefit not only the immediate surroundings but humanity as a whole. Having each localized project connected by open-source information and by using a platform that allows individuals from different parts of the world to work together on problems, the most valuable resource will change from what it currently is, currency, to human capital. Each person added to the system provides only benefit because the base cost is zero of the system is zero. With this as the model, we can alter the way business functions to not only become massively more profitable, but also to provide a drastic increase in quality of life for very legitimately the entirety of the human population. As the base needs will be easily met by technological improvements to infrastructure, individuals can focus on projects which appeal most to them. Over time, as the system expands, more individuals will collaborate on projects of passion, making teams of people that are dedicated to solving a problem or creating a new tech, regardless of position on the planet or relative experience in the field. This allows for a level of development never before seen by recorded civilization in every field imaginable; the maximization of every speck of potential that exists.
The future:
With this system as the model, there is no limit to the possibilities. Collaborative efforts to consistently bring a higher quality of life to the members of the project will entice future investments and a torrential rate of application by many of the most skilled individuals of the world. Because the nature of the project is one of a zero cost baseline, people from all walks of life could be considered for membership based on merit, human capital, the skills they bring to the table, rather than material capital. Eventually, this project could be expanded to include the entirety of the species as a united effort to provide the best possible quality of living for everyone. In a span of decades, we could have projects set up across the solar system, even across the galaxy. The sky falls far short of the limit should we make the correct investments in our future at this crucial moment in history.