Hello, my name is David. My story begins not with philosophy, but with a feeling — a feeling of boundless optimism I had growing up during the Space Age. I was inspired by visions of the future, like Walt Disney's original dream for EPCOT, where science and human ingenuity were intended to create a better tomorrow. I believed we were on a path to limitless possibilities.

But like many, I watched that optimism fade over the last few decades. I saw humans walk on the Moon, and then I saw us pull back instead of continuing the journey. That dream was replaced by a persistent, nagging awareness that our systems were breaking and our culture was losing its way.

That awareness became an urgent call to action, reminding me of an oath I took in 1981 upon joining the U.S. Air Force: to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Today, I believe some of the most profound threats to our freedom and dignity are not foreign adversaries, but obsolete systems and the scarcity mindset they perpetuate. Brighter-Orbit.Life is my way of stepping up to challenge them.

The Great Transition Is Upon Us

My personal journey has brought me to a startling realization, confirmed by the work of futurists at RethinkX and others: we are not just experiencing political turmoil or cultural tension — we are living at the very beginning of a civilizational shift.

The old world, built on extraction and scarcity, is collapsing. A new world, built on creation and abundance, is emerging. This shift is powered by renewable energy, human creativity, and transformative technologies such as artificial intelligence. But abundance in technology does not automatically mean abundance in human lives. Without deliberate choices, AI and automation could repeat — and even accelerate — the inequality of the past.

Why This Matters to Me Personally

Recently, I faced my own period of forced downtime due to medical issues. During recovery, I had a front-row seat to what it feels like when your ability to work — and earn — is suddenly disrupted. For me, this was temporary. But for millions, the coming wave of AI-driven automation will displace income on a scale humanity has never faced before.

That experience made the issue urgent and personal: if the productivity gains from AI are not shared, we risk leaving vast numbers of people without the means to live with dignity.

That is why Brighter Orbit champions the concept of AI Dividends — the principle that a fair portion of AI-generated wealth should be returned to the people, as a rightful share in the prosperity their society helped create. This isn’t charity. It’s about economic justice, dignity, and giving everyone the freedom to pursue their highest potential in the new era we are building together.

Areté: The Inner Compass for the New Era

To navigate The Great Transition, we need more than policy and technology — we need a new mindset. That’s where the ancient Greek concept of Areté comes in: the pursuit of excellence, moral courage, and the full realization of our potential.

Areté is grounded in the observable reality of our extraordinary human capacities, not in narratives of deficiency. It calls us to rise to the challenges of this moment, to build a culture where abundance is truly shared, and to approach the future with both dignity and purpose.

Brighter-Orbit.Life is my contribution to this pivotal moment. It’s a space dedicated to architecting the new consciousness required for this emerging era — one that ensures abundance is shared, dignity is defended, and human potential is unleashed.

If you’ve ever looked at the world and felt we are on the cusp of something both perilous and full of possibility, you belong here. This is a place for the awake and the yearning.

Welcome. Let’s build the future we know is possible.