“Can you believe this?”
“Believe what?”
“I’m reading this article, a serious science article, about a new state of matter called ‘time crystals’.”
“Time crystals?”
“Yeah!”
“Sounds like a hooky scifi plot device. ‘We need to find the time crystals to power the flux capacitor.'”
“Exactly! How am I, a humble writer of science fiction, supposed to compete with that?”
“I heard NASA is testing a new type of engine. Uses microwaves or something bouncing around a chamber to produce thrust. They said it could lead to a warp drive like travel.”
“Did you hear about those planets that might be able to support life?” I paused to seethe into the distance. “See that right there is the problem. The future is nipping at our heels.”
“Is it really such a problem?”
“It wouldn’t be if the world was closer to a utopia rather than the slow dystopia we’re living in now. I’d be glad to jump into the future if it meant real advancement for the common people. How long before the rich leave in their warp ships for clean fresh worlds?”
“It’s not going to be that bad.”
“No, it’ll probably be worse. After all, they aren’t going to want to do the actual work of building a new civilization.”
“That’s a good thing. It means regular people will have a chance at making it to these new worlds.”
“Maybe but as what? Serfs? Indentured servants? How long do you think it will take to pay back a trip to another world?”
“We aren’t going to become slaves to the rich.”
“No, of course not. There will always be a choice but eventually, the choice will seem less a choice and more the obvious answer. They’re salting the earth, poisoning the seas, burning the sky, and just choking the life out of us. We can’t even get off the planet yet. How much worse will it get when they can leave? How much of your life working for a ‘company’ is worth going with them?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it won’t be that bad. Maybe we can fix the planet after they leave. Even if we royally screw up the planet something will survive. It may not be humans but it’ll be something.”
“Maybe they won’t make the same mistakes we made.”