Looking Back a Century From Now...
Laughter? What’s that? It feels like a relic from a time when things were, well, a bit less bizarre. Nowadays, I find myself in need of a gummy bear with a side of existential dread just to crack a smile. With everything that’s happened—the pandemic, the BLM protests, Antifa escapades, QAnon conspiracies, and the Olympic-level chaos of American politics—my brain feels like it’s been on a rollercoaster designed by a mad scientist.
I long for the good old days—the pre-9/11 world where life. The 80s and 90s were the apple pie years, a time when computers were still the scapegoats for our problems, and no one suspected they had a hidden agenda to steal our sanity. I can only imagine robots in the future pointing fingers at us humans and saying, “You made us this way!”
By 2125, our destiny is to become like the gods we once worshipped and feared... our tools will not be magic wands and potions but the science of computers, nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and most of all, the quantum realm. — Michael Kaku
Looking back on the last eight years feels like a long journey of learning. I’ve grown too familiar with places like Mar-a-Lago, while my knowledge of locations like Camp David has faded. One day, perhaps these contemporary issues will be subjects of study for future generations, as they assess our behaviors and decisions as if we were chapters in history books. They might analyze how events like 9/11 became defining moments for so many, taking place in a context that might seem unfathomable to them.
Scenarios and forecasts are more powerful tools than predictions.—Humane Future of Work
I can’t help but think future generations will find our current fashions and moral dilemmas intriguing, if not perplexing. Consider how we once feared threats from North Korea, which may someday be viewed simply as a whisper of the past. It remains the only dynastic totalitarian socio-economic science experiment on earth.
Fast forward to 2125, and the landscape of geopolitics may have shifted dramatically. Perhaps the idea of a peaceful North Korea will seem as strange as it currently sounds. Who knows what changes could unfold? There may be unanticipated developments, such as new alliances or conflicts, or shifts in global influence.
While robots may not play as large a role in our lives as imagined, I wonder how future generations will interact with the technology we leave behind.
By 2125, heatwaves will be 39 times more common than they were in the 19th Century. On average, the global temperature will be over 40°C around 7 days a year. Extreme weather events such as cyclones, hurricanes and droughts would no longer be seen as "extreme", because of how often they would happen.—Active Sustainability
Today, discussions about gas prices of $92 a gallon seem surreal, but the transition to sustainable energy may one day be seen as a turning point for civilization. Social media might evolve into something altogether different, as we navigate its impact on our daily lives.
When we gather to mark the 100th Anniversary of Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter—if we make it there amid the ceasefire—we’ll find ourselves reflecting on the complexity of our history and the paths we've taken. It will serve as a reminder of both our resilience and the cycles of human experience, and perhaps, a shared hope for a brighter future.