I’ve always been a fan of Star Trek. Its imagined society — one powered by near-infinite energy sources like dilithium and antimatter — is aspirational, but probably not in the cards for us. The odds of discovering an endless power supply or sending ships faster than light with crews of humans aboard? Slim.

More likely, space exploration will belong to robots. Humans are uniquely adapted to the only spaceship that really matters: Earth. Beyond that, maybe some short bursts of space tourism. But even that carries a certain arrogance. We already see how hypermobile lifestyles — private jets, whirlwind “weekend” travel — strain housing, transport, and ecosystems. Pop into orbit for an hour or two? That’s a hobby for mega-yacht owners, not a vision of progress.

Living in Sync with the Planet

A more realistic and hopeful future is closer to Stephen Baxter’s World Engines: not escaping Earth, but learning to live in sync with it. Growth for growth’s sake — capitalism’s central promise — is impossible in a finite system. In almost any other context, if you claimed something could expand forever without balance, you’d be dismissed as a crank. Yet, our economies operate on exactly that illusion. And those winning at it are willing to burn the rest of the planet to keep “winning.”

But what’s the prize? Having the biggest bank account is as meaningful as hoarding bells in Animal Crossing. It keeps you busy, but outside your window the world still burns.

A Collective Future

The progress I want is collective. A society where skills matter again: where people can be farmers, plumbers, electricians, builders, nurses — and communities thrive on mutual resilience. Power comes from wind and solar, balanced by geothermal or nuclear. Infrastructure is maintained by locals with expertise, not outsourced endlessly to the lowest bidder.

Add in a universal basic income, and nobody goes hungry. Things are built to last, not designed for obsolescence. Your car? You hand it down to your kids. Your washing machine? It gets repaired, not binned.

I imagine a three-day work week, with purposeful roles: repairing, maintaining, creating, teaching, or caring. The rest of the time is family, education, community. A life that feels human again. A life that’s yours — one that gives you value, agency, and self-worth. The kind of meaning endless clicks or the latest upgrade can never instil. We’ve been sold the lie that value can be bought, and that falsehood is what’s sickening society.

The Power of Populist Visions

But visions like this compete with others. Right now, in the US, we see “whites only” communities being advertised. The administration’s messaging, while coded, tilts in the same direction. Across Europe too, populist groups offer a simple, seductive promise: a safe, happy place where your fears vanish — if only we remove the “others.” It’s nostalgia for worlds that never existed, but it rallies people powerfully.

Democracy, by contrast, is failing the messaging test. It’s like watching a trial where democracy sits at the defence table, armed with technical and accurate arguments, while the jury snoozes. Meanwhile, the prosecution — Trump and co. — grabs attention with fire and spectacle. Democracy risks dying not because it lacked truth, but because it couldn’t make its case compellingly enough.

Clarity vs. Complexity: Why Visions Matter

And while populists paint big pictures, tech bros distract themselves with fantasies of space colonies or AI overlords fixing everything. It’s not revolutionary; it’s the oldest autocrat’s dream: someone else will solve the problems, while they stay in control.

What we need is our own vision. After WWII, it was easier: the EEC, the EU, NATO, and the USSR as the clear “do you really want that?” counterexample. Today, autocracies like China or the petro-states in the Middle East sell clarity: you know exactly what’s legal, what’s expected, who belongs and who doesn’t.

Meanwhile, the EU has a subtler brand — rooted in lofty ideals but often hazily articulated. The Union officially stands for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and human rights (Lisbon Treaty, Article 2). Its motto, United in Diversity, is meant to capture unity through difference. Its founding aims, from the Charter of Fundamental Rights, promise peace, social cohesion, and sustainable prosperity.

These are powerful commitments on paper — but they sound more like legal clauses than rallying cries. Populists package simple, emotional visions. The EU too often defaults to the language of treaties and balance sheets. And that vagueness makes it hard to inspire people, even though the values themselves are worth defending.

But standing for nothing isn’t neutrality; it’s a slow unraveling. Integrity demands choosing values and defending them, even if it rocks the boat.

Slipping Back into the Bubble

So here I am, slipping back into my bubble of a better world. A world not of endless growth, but of balance. Not of fear, but of shared progress. If populists can rally people with their visions, why can’t democrats do the same?

Because at the end of the day, we don’t just need policy. We need hope.

As always, be excellent to each other.

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Some further reading for added context:

Post-WWII creation of the EU — How a clear vision built institutions.

Degrowth movement explainer — An economic argument against endless growth.

Stephen Baxter’s World Engines — The context for this vision of the future.

Universal Basic Income — Have a look, it might open your eyes. Examples, pilots, and research.

Populism in Europe — Just a taste of some ongoing reporting.