I think in day like 2017 where we think of only few men having luxury.....when in contrast to the money that is spent on war machines and bringing others down......for instance instead of having better computer chips out of greed, or better land/oil/prices out of greed and the willingness to let greed cause human death destruction and suffering.
Imagine just 20-40-100 years of complete/ mostly peace/ very little people inprisioned/oppressed. The fun "competitions" and strive for comfortable/luxury items could be in conquest on the deep see. Schools could compete for better subs/ faster/deeper.
Larger lusher greener gardens/foods/cafeterias for children and old people. Education designed for old folks and homes for near death people that rival wild dreams, without harming animals and ecosystem in the process, but instead working with them.
We could be competing for the highest overall broadband internet. I mean getting internet to the world is great....but will be fast everywhere? will be free? I would compete for those......why will so many other let greed instead charge for these things so that they can have a nicer thing rather than give a nicer thing?
Could we not instill the attitude of accepting gifts from others and wishing to give a bigger one in return?
Imagine the items we would be creating instead of destroying ...

If only nation states back when had decided to work together for riches rather than kill whole cities for gold/tools/books ect.

This does all stem from words/emotions/our frontal lobes/ our subconscious and how we balance all these together. I have found studying NLP/Hypnosis to being a huge key into balancing out exactly what I want in life, the future I want, how to talk and get it, notice im getting it, as well work together with my subconscious to better understand how powerful our words our and how to more strategically use them for my/our advantage.

I think your last question is one to be debated over the people who believe in a big picture long term humanity view of things vs. people who just do not care, want to live a life of ignorance/ instant gratification and generally just need some decent education.
If it causes harm to others, or take away form others/enviroment, it should be avoided. If it helps others, or builds the future its probably a better bet.

Like intense marketing to get people addicted to gambling and drinking
vs not having gambling like in current casinos/apps/comp games.
You could instead be targeting the same type of knowledge into finding education, job placement, something else other than having people infront of blinking machine hoping for a big pay out day in day out as millions goes into r&d on continuing that cycle.

For fuck sake we could have free energy if casinos were just set up to put all profits into solar/r&d on green energy.

In 1980s Texas decided to not make the words largest Large Hadron Collider...in favor of a military budget to go to war in the middle east over oil or whatever.....I mean thats a whole science field trip that hits home for student like me in DFW Texas who was in public school from the 1990-2012....I never had a teacher tell me that instead of learning science texas speant its month on better tanks and bombs to kill brown people who live in sandy shitty war torn part of the world.....
That sucks knowing that greed in military out beat interest in science .
It most likely did not..just a few rich men who make the big decisions let it happen then and still now.