Scientist/ Philosopher Carl Sagan once wrote, “The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena.” Yet, despite our tiny place in the grand scheme of the universe, we have managed to exert an immense and often devastating impact on our planet. From climate change and pollution to deforestation and resource depletion, we have pushed our planet to the brink of collapse. If we are to survive and thrive in the future, we must fundamentally update our economic systems, particularly capitalism, to ensure they promote environmental sustainability and social equity.

Ten years ago, I dreamed Sagan big in Antarctica near the end of the Mayan calendar on 12.12.12 and created The Coolest Meditation Ever film. The goal: set 24 quantum intentions for shifts to human evolution into the collective consciousness in the pristine energy field of the south polar magnetic fields. Yeah, I know. Big stuff. But, you see, I learned long ago as the maker of films and skyscrapers dreaming big is what stirs our souls. Here in the 18th of 24 paradigm on meditating on shifting meditation greed to generosity in our collective consciousness.

At its core, capitalism is based on the pursuit of profit, growth, and individual wealth. While these goals have driven much of the progress and innovation of the modern world, they have also led to environmental degradation, social inequality, and an unsustainable use of resources. To truly address the challenges of the 21st century, we need a new economic paradigm, one that prioritizes sustainability and equitable distribution of resources.

The first step in updating capitalism is to recognize the true cost of our actions on the environment. Too often, companies and individuals are able to externalize the environmental costs of their actions, pushing them onto future generations or onto vulnerable populations. We need to develop systems that hold individuals and corporations accountable for their environmental impact, through policies like carbon taxes, polluter pays laws, and regulations on resource extraction and use.

Additionally, we need to invest in new technologies and innovations that promote environmental sustainability. This includes renewable energy, green transportation, sustainable agriculture, and clean manufacturing. By prioritizing these industries and creating economic incentives for their growth, we can not only reduce our environmental impact, but also create new jobs and industries for the future.

But updating capitalism also means promoting social equity and justice. Environmental degradation and resource depletion often fall hardest on marginalized communities, particularly in the Global South. To address this, we need to ensure that economic policies promote social equity and justice, including living wages, worker protections, and social safety nets.

10 years post the Antarctica meditations humanity has the new tool of AIs to help humanity see the forest for the trees in ending greed. And so, using my human experience of serving corporate America for my decades, a simple yet challenging question:

ChatGPT, please design a program for creating an incentive for corporation to put the general public’s concerns on a mpre equal basis to its shareholders and here’s what it came up with.

1. Creation of the SRIF: The government could create a publicly-owned investment fund that focuses on socially responsible investments. The SRIF would be managed by a team of financial experts who would be responsible for selecting investments that align with specific social and environmental goals.
2. Investment Criteria: The investment criteria for the SRIF would be focused on promoting positive social and environmental outcomes. For example, the fund could invest in companies that have a strong record of reducing their carbon footprint, promoting workplace diversity, or investing in local communities. The investment team would also evaluate the financial performance of potential investments to ensure that they are financially sound and likely to generate a profit.
3. Profit-Sharing Model: The profits generated by the SRIF would be shared between the government and the general public. The government could use its share of the profits to fund public programs and services, while the general public could receive a dividend or other financial benefit. This profit-sharing model would ensure that the financial gains generated by the SRIF are not limited to a small group of shareholders, but are distributed more broadly to benefit the public.
4. Transparency and Accountability: To ensure that the SRIF is operating in the best interest of the general public, it would be subject to strict transparency and accountability measures. The investment team would be required to regularly report on the fund’s financial performance and the social and environmental impact of its investments. The SRIF could also be subject to regular audits and independent evaluations to ensure that it is meeting its stated goals.

Overall, the SRIF would provide a profit incentive that is aligned with the public interest. By investing in socially responsible companies and sharing the profits with the general public, the program would promote positive social and environmental outcomes while also generating financial returns.

I find this solution rational and practical by the AI because it does not subtract from how capitalism works. Rather the AI adds a new player to the board room table, we the people. What do you think of ChatGPT’s SRIF idea?

If you’d like to a support this blog’s gentle form of activism through meditation that helps people awaken to the dangers of runaway climate change in particular please donate at CoolestMeditationEver.com, where you can watch the 24 Antarctica meditations for free, or pick out some cool New Age tech we’ve curated in our filming of stars of the conscious community like Dr. Patrick Flanagan and Jonathan Goldman on our sister site CoolestTechEver.com.