Economies of Galactic Super-Abundance, and Micro-Scarcity

In this day and age, it is very likely that you will hear a debate or an argument about civics at some point in your life time. And that no matter how well off people have it, there are those convinced that we are doing it wrong.

Well, while there are definitely still problems to solve, the simple fact remains. Largely, life in the galaxy, not just for one species like Humans, is the best it has ever been.

The reemergence of free enterprise in the galaxy without an intervening overlord opens up the true vastness to all of us. Suffice to say, with the amount of stars, and associated planetary bodies, scientists estimate that there are enough resources-per-habitation-unit to sustain current growth rates into the millions of years before crowding would ever become a conventional issue. And, moreover, with Z-Forge technology, as well as current levels of computing power, it is entirely possible to purchase a deployable farmstead that is almost entirely self-maintaining. Allowing for a predominantly sedentary lifestyle even on uninhabited worlds. It becomes even easier with small, sustainable communities.

That being said, not everyone has a choice of where they are born, or what their circumstances are, or what consequences they face in life are.

Many worlds have pockets of destitute poverty, squalor, and toil. Things that no one wants to do, but must be done. Or maybe populations that have been disenfranchised for some reason or another. Such prompts quality of life discrepancies, and many other symptoms that have existed throughout most societies' histories.

Rarely is it ever about a true lack of resources, as much as it is about distribution. For all of our progress, the galaxy truly is still a huge place. While often it is not hard to escape poverty, for some it is harder than others, and in some places that is true for more people than others.

And hey, how many people are ever satisfied with just escaping poverty?


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