Not long ago, I saw an article that stated that the version of futurism presented in STAR TREK had become outdated, and no longer had a place in modern society. The article went on to say that one of Treks’ core concepts – that of Altruism – was no longer viewed as productive or healthy, and that Western society had long shifted towards a focus on the individual instead of the whole.
As I read, I found myself shaking my head, and realizing that the author had missed the point of TREK entirely. In STAR TREK, they live in an Altruistic society. Now, for those who may not fully be aware, Altruism is the principle or practice of concern for the welfare of others. It is (supposed to be) a traditional virtue in many cultures and a core aspect of various religious traditions and secular worldviews.
One of the basic ideas behind the world that Gene Roddenberry created for TREK was the concept that Humanity had finally ‘grown up’, grown out of the selfishness of its infancy, and discovered a galaxy full of infinite, diverse beings. STAR TREK, without this core belief of a better mankind, simply wouldn’t be TREK at all. And it wouldn’t have lasted fifty years either.
What the author of the aforementioned article missed is fairly simple. His argument was based in the idea that, as our society has moved away from Altruism, and toward Egotism, that we have ‘grown up’ in some way. Personally, I believe that the further we go away from Altruistic beliefs, the more infantile we become – not the more grown up.
Altruism or selflessness is the opposite of selfishness. And selfishness is NOT a virtue, no matter how it’s packaged for our consumption. And STAR TREK knew this, fifty years ago, just as well as it does now.
I could write volumes on this idea, but the day is busy and life is short, so I’ll conclude with this. It takes courage to be kind, especially in a society that is generally unkind.
When they said “To Boldly Go”, that was not only into space – but into life.
Live long, and Prosper.
