Michelle Nhung Le

Posted on: 5/9/2021

The idea of creating a Utopia has been prevalent throughout history, but unfortunately, many of us think that if everyone in the world had enough money, we’d all be happy. The quotation, “Money can buy happiness,” may resonate with many of us, but it’s because the vast majority of us were born into capitalist and consumerist ideals. We simply don’t have the power to change how we grow up when a world structure so institutionalized has set a concrete guideline on how to be human. What I would like to explore is this: how do we, as a civilization, function without money, keep everyone’s productivity levels high, but also solve world problems such as climate change or war?

It is possible that through thought-experiment and mini-civilization research studies, humans can uncover solution(s) to the question of the best way to live. If we discover a solution, we could implement it through our government. Perhaps then, we will have escaped from the influence of capitalism and consumerism to find a new problem to solve. Ultimately, most of us feel most happy when we are working towards something we want, and isn’t that the greatest currency of all—the pursuit of happiness?

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