Galactic Currency? Yes, Please!
Engadget had a writeup of a Travelex press release on a new currency…
I only have one thing to say: Uh, YES!
Ok, that was a lie. I have more to say than that.
Looks cool, doesn’t it?
People are saying this is stupid, a waste of time, or unnecessary… but there are some things to consider before passing judgment.
- The Euro
- Space
- Star Wars
The Euro
Remember when Europe had a different currency in every country? Aren’t things a little better now? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I find it easier to carry one currency across a plethora of locations than having to change it out everytime you go 8 miles in any direction. Another small item for consideration: if memory serves me, the Euro stabilized the European economy a little bit… right?
Space
It’s a big place. And the arguments for why credit cards (as they work currently) won’t be acceptable are very true and compelling… think of space as one giant magnet scanner you can’t put your credit card on. For that matter, how easy is it going to be to pay for things using whatever currency you normally use… when there’s going to be more than a handful of currency options from all of the different countries?
The luxury apartments of the future…
Star Wars
I’m assuming you’ve seen Star Wars? Then you’ve realized they pay in a generic form of currency… Galactic Credits. That seems to work out for them doesn’t it?
The Bring-Together
Long story short, I think that not only is a “galactic currency” a good idea… but it’s much needed. If America were to use the same currency as China and Europe (although Europe might be upset about having to change again), things would be much different. There’d be no more talk of “the dollar is falling!” and China trying to have the Yen take over the world.
It would also potentially unite the world, to a certain extent, which is a necessary item for humanity to be successful and thriving in space. We can’t have our planetary problems carry over into space or other planets… do you really want to have to worry about suicide bombers proclaiming Jihad on the moon? How about the Chinese and Russians working together to take over some new planet, name it a Communist property, and then declare war on the non-Communists?
What we’re really trying to avoid…
Do you really think that each country can reach space independently? No. The American government is having a hard enough time as it is, how can third world countries (or even places like Germany, for that matter) make it? This is why the business sector has stepped in. But for the business sector of space to be fully functional and realized, the world economy and populace has to be behind the idea of colonizing space as a race and as a people…
Not in the name of their homeland, nation, religion, race, or otherwise social affiliation.
