Space, the final frontier. These are the voya... ...Wait, wait, wait! Yes, we all know the Enterprise and her crew will have another great adventure. It is easy to forget, however, that while the Enterprise and her crew do some cool things as they travel through the galaxy, there are some very cool things happening back on Earth in the 24th century. Humanity is starting to get things right. In America the invented problems that provide profit to a few and misery to most are gone: broken families, drop-out rates, food stamps, poverty, minimum wage, drug addiction, illegal immigrants, corporate greed, racism, student loans, da-dah, da-dah, da-dah-da-dah...they are all gone! These issues are no longer being used to tear us apart. We have stopped being puppets that dance on a string from the time we are born to the time we are laid to rest. Schools no longer indoctrinate. Education has transitioned from learning how to take tests to exploring each individual's abilities and interests. The practice of using classrooms to train children to become good workers has stopped. In the Star Trek universe students are not trapped by their age, special interest groups and politicians. Partisan politics and politicians are gone. Their whole system of working as hard as they can to maintain gridlock has become extinct. Politicians who listen to pocketbooks, cater to the powerful and bathe themselves in hypocrisy have been replaced by public servants who facilitate the will of the people. The media's talking heads have become extinct. Information and access to it is available to all citizens. Moreover, each citizen interprets events and makes judgements on his or her own. In the future we no longer need to be told how to think, what to feel and what to fear. Instead of treating viewers, listeners and readers like children the media simply report events. Gene Roddenberry's vision of the future is one full of promise. Americans have come together as one people. Skin color no longer defines race, but rather demonstrates the breadth of our one race...the human race. We have moved beyond the petty squabbles, the endless babble and the senseless division we see today. The puppet strings have been cut and the puppeteers have been retired. Imagine a society where each individual has the time, the talent and the tools necessary to explore his or her own dream! Our need to own cool things has been replaced by a need to do cool things. Imagine an America where poverty has been erased, and replaced by opportunity. Citizens challenge themselves and find satisfaction in the journey of each challenge. This book examines the vision of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek and incorporates the values and goals of that society into an action plan to help us move our society forward. By citing specific examples from the various Star Trek franchises we can gain insight as to how to begin the process of change. Before we begin the change, before we boldly go anywhere however, we must learn to boldly stop what we are doing today. We must learn how to stop the madness, the anger and the hate. All of our efforts must focus on our children so we can prepare them for entry into the Federation. This book lays out a plan and begins that discussion. Are you ready? Engage!
About the Author: Dave currently lives in China. He has worked in management (food services and manufacturing) for 15 years, and in education for 30 years as a teacher and school principal. He has lived and worked in four countries over his career. He has a bachelors degree in Secondary Education: Social Studies. He also has two masters degrees: Educational Leadership; Bilingual/Multicultural Education. Throughout his working life, Dave has encountered a wide variety of people, communities and cultures. Despite the differences in language, customs and traditions he observed some common elements...the most basic of which was that fundamentally people enjoy the same things: laughter, peace, friends, family, good health and a cool summer breeze. As a fan of Star Trek for fifty years he recognized that what people want today, they have in the future portrayed in Star Trek. As an optimist Dave uses his professional training and personal experiences to lay out a plan to actually realize Gene Roddenberry's vision.