Robots were all my 11-year-old cousin could think of when I asked them to imagine the future. I pressed on hinting at other possibilities, hoping for a different answer but to little luck. Artificial Intelligence, sentient robots, flying cars, and virtual reality: the truth is, most of these concepts have existed for quite some time now, at least conceptually. But none of them was the answer I was hoping for when I asked about the future.
So how do we define the future? If we were to go by a dictionary, it is a later time, something that doesn't exist yet. Ironically enough though, humankind throughout its existence has kept the phrase “history repeats itself” very relevant. Conflicts over the same deep-rooted societal issues, toxicity and unreasonable expectations of people have been going on for centuries now. We’re either forced to fit into the societal mould or discriminated against if we fail to do so. All of these issues have somehow carried themselves forward in time many times over with the only change being in the mode or tools that we’ve used to enable them. And thus the question arises, ‘Have we as humans done anything differently over the years?’
As we’ve moved forward in time, we have only developed upon the materialistic aspects of the world in a quest to satisfy our indulgence. So much so that we’ve been programmed to think that these things are the future, forgetting to see what's right in front of us; ourselves, our youth, and humanity. We fail to realize that the youth of today will be the ones leading us into the future and not the devices they hold in their hands. It’s the good intentions aimed at the betterment of human society, that went behind the development of these devices and not the devices themselves that deserve to be defined as our future. Humanity should drive technology and not the other way round. Prosthetics are great examples of this, with the main ideology behind it being to help disabled people and give them a shot at a new life.
I believe that what ultimately needs to be carried into the future is our shared faith in humanity and our hope for a brighter tomorrow. One where we can raise our families in times of peace, where we are willing to help those in need, and where we open our hearts to love and not hate. This brings me to the answer I was hoping for; our future should be filled with hope and opportunities to realize them.
Life in the future has nothing to do with the crazy technological advancements that we may come up with, but the things that we overlook in our present, as they are the factors that hold the key to our future. Every new day may be different from those that have passed, but one thing we know for sure will stand, is hope. After all, we go to bed every night with no assurance that the sun will rise tomorrow, with only hope assuring us that it will.
