Before Gordon Gekko There Was Star Trek

Before Ayn Rand became a household name or Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko in the movie, Wall Street, captivated the masses with his "greed is good" ideals, a license to callously cheat and exploit, we believed in the progressive values of Star Trek.  Remember, in Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan (1982) when Spock's dying words to Kirk were "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few."  Or a few years later, in Star Trek: First Contact (1996) Picard explains the world view of the future when he says "The acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force in our lives.  We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity." In fact, Star Trek's mission was one of exploration and humanitarianism rather than the Right Wing rejection of science or the Ayn Rand values to spurn collectivism and altruism.

That said, I wonder how many have considered how much more Trekkies and Goddess Advocates have in common?  Let's see.

Let's start with how Goddess ideals are about the "we and the us" rather than the "I and me."  Sounds synonymous with the words of Spock, does it not?

Goddess advocates have talked about a gift economy rather than the predator capitalism of Gordon Gekko causing vast income disparity and massive suffering of the 99%.

Women certainly were equal in the world of Star Trek, as are they in Goddess Spirituality.   Vaginal probes and pay or gender inequity were not something they endured.

Goddess, by her many names and faces across the globe is the poster girl for diversity and tolerance.  Think back to Captain Kirk and Uhura's first inter-racial kiss and the multi-cultural Star Trek crews throughout the series.

With our finite resources, we can no longer continue to exploit Gaia. We must reject unfettered growth and opt for the development of our species.

I'm sure this will get you thinking to the many episodes of morality within the long-running and beloved Star Trek series.  What was your favorite episode?   What values did Star Trek teach you or your kids? How did the series make you feel as you saw the bravery and selflessness of the crew?  Were they your heroes and heroines?  Did you aspire to be like them?

Star Trek may no longer be aired in prime time on major networks but with recent movies the franchise is far from buried and forgotten. I certainly remember when the series' ideology held sway within our hearts and minds.  Can we afford to bury what Star Trek taught us or shall we revive it?  So many of us yearned for a world akin to Star Trek.  Can we remember when the values of Trekkies showed the way and held the promise for the future?

What will it take for the collective consciousness of Americans to return to those values of caring and sharing, of justice and equality, of science and humanitarianism? How do we unplug from the hive mentality of greed and fundamentalism?  Perhaps we just have to remember who we once were and what we once valued.  Resistance is not futile.