Alyssa Bell
Fall of 2058 The day is September 26, 2058 and I have just recently turned 67.Coincidently my granddaughter and I share the same birthday and recently turned 17. Memories from when I was just turning 17 half a century ago seem as though it was an eternity from now. It is remarkable to think of the changes our world has endured; just 50 years ago the average life expectancy rate was approximately 80 years for Americans in the United States and now days it is estimated that I still have nearly 100 years left of my life, possibly even more. World hunger and most psychiatric illnesses are now things of the past along with Schelling’s accurate guess of “AIDS [being] eliminated” (41). Additionally, Wanda Jones, director of the Office on Women’s Health, predicted 50 years ago that “all but a few types of breast and prostate cancers will be curable” and was correct (28). For years before I was born scientists were unceasingly searching for cures for cancer; the concept of people no longer fearing the diagnosis of most cancers is unfathomable to me. As I look out of my living room window on this cold rainy day watching a few of my other grandchildren play outside in the garden it is difficult to imagine how quickly things have moved on. Our world is ever-growing with technology and 50 years ago the advancements that my children and grandchildren are able to enjoy would have been nothing more than a dream to my parents and grandparents. The tragedies that people would have thought would destroy our ecosystem have proven to be more powerful than we have imagined and "we shall be continually amazed at the resilience of the planets living systems" (Christy 16). However our ecosystem's outstanding capabilities do not receive all the credit; over a period of time we have slowly changed things dramatically energy wise. Most people have not noticed much of a change as it has occurred rather slowly; however looking back there is most definitely a conspicuous difference. Claude Mandil, a well-known name of the International Energy Agency of 2008, accurately foresaw “an electric age, drawing on electric power that is clean, silent, and flexible in use” (152). Mandil is not the only one who guessed that in five decades from the year 2008 we would be operating more environmentally friendly. Three scientists from Sierra Club’s Global Warming Program saw a world that “allowed governments to replace paved superhighways with solar collectors and carbon-absorbing trees and grasses that can be turned into a biofuel” (Pope, Becker, and Forbes 172). Thus far our new world may seem pure and free of complications, although this cannot be true seeing as how we have still yet to create perfection.
Unfortunately where excellence may be found not far from its tracks will one also discover the flaws. As people continually reproduce, cures for diseases are found, and the remedies for longevity persist the population grows larger. Christian de Duve wrote in an essay 50 years ago that “if our children and grandchildren keep letting nature follow its course, the situation fifty years from today can only be dramatically worse than it is now…humans will have gone on multiplying, possibly exceeding the eight-billion mark” (11). Christian happens to be right on about his prediction; the number of people are duplicating while less people are dying. These two facts do not mix well together. Back in 2003 Canadian and Australian activists were already “raising the possibility that they may already be overpopulated” (Hall). Fifty-five years later one can only imagine the effects new technology have had on the population of the world. The New York Times states that “in parts of the United States, milk is more expensive than gasoline” (Arnold). The constant increase in population has almost made most cow products a delicacy. People are unable to afford things such as steaks or cow milk on a regular basis and struggle to find suburban locations for family homes more than ever before. Technology has the power to create easier living but lacks the ability to decrease populations. While many accurate predictions have been made great deals of them were unrealistic and impractical; I believe to never live through the existence of many of those anticipated inventions. Two such examples are Arthur Caplan's theory that "without the approval of the NGA, [couples will] not have government approval to marry and have kids" (25) and Kim Dae-jung's speculation that "people will be able to communicate simply by thinking" (57). Both thoughts violate the rights of our individuality and freedom. The government does not possess the right to control our spousal relationships neither does it have the power to allow people to read one another's thoughts. People as a whole simply will not allow it. Technology continues to enhance the world in which we live and will inveterately do so but I believe that the strong opiniated will always exist and continue to put a stop to what seems inappropriate for our liking. Therefore I do not ever see technology becoming out of control to the point where we will be asking ourselves "What does it mean to be human?" (Clarke 73) or "In the light of this [technology], will we remain human?" (Kurzweil 38). I side with Francis S. Collins when he says that "science will provide us with many opportunities [,] but people will still be searching for answers to the meaning of life" (6). Throughout the entity of my life the process of identifying singularity has been of critical importance to all and I fail to see a reason in which that would end.
Works Cited
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