In fifty years, the sky is no longer the limit. At least, that's what everyone says. And given the ingenuity of my classmates at this moment in time, the complete eraser of limits is only the briefest foreshadowing of the possibilities of the years to come. But despite these brave wonders and imaginings, I will always desire a small earthy life, not participating in the expanding of knowledge, but learning what is already available. In fifty years I hope that I will have lived my life: I hope to be a mother of whatever biology will grant me, I would wish to learn the secrets of plants' silent growth, I would wish to learn everything about the principals of neuroscience and philosophy, I would desire to find someone who could keep me company, and I would wish to die before I turned 70. when everyone else is living into the 100s? why?

    People have expectations of the future, that we will have “[cars elevated] as they move through traffic with anti crash centers” (author? since you did not mention the author in the sentence, you must in the reference165), and that “we [will] have solved global warming issues” (author?168). However I don’t think the basic human will have significantly differentiated from today’s model. The future ethical dilemmas and psychology that come with basic change will not be resolved, at least, not to the point that humans will voluntarily change who they fundamentally are. As  is the basic pride of a person that will cause this otherwise explosive technology to slow down. (insert book source here?) I don’t believe that humans will ever truly merge with computers, but side with Shigeo Hirose in his opinion that “Robot technology should not interfere with natural human relations and deprive people of their pride and jobs, but should instead be behind the the scene to support the life of people” (88). good -Docraygen 11/3/08 11:14 PM The people will only use the technology, but will not infuse it. Humans are social creatures that want the empathy and security that comes with human interaction. The machinery will not become one with humans, despite Ray Kurtzweiler’s stance: the meld between humanity and technology(ch 11 page?).

    Even with the advent of new technology that stops or reverses aging, I believe that people will become more concerned with the quality of life rather than quantity. A life of 200 years does not equate to 200 years of a meaningful existence. The author Terry Pratchett illustrates this when describing a situtation in his book, Hogfather: “Humans couldn’t live here, no, because even when you diluted a glass of wine with a bathful of water you might have more liquid but you still had the same amount of wine.”  (Pratchett 86). After my hair turns white and my limbs become shakey, what then can I do to enjoy myself? The duration of life does not necessitate that there will be satisfaction  offered those who age. After retirement what will the ancient do for themselves? Would anyone subject a near eternal boredem upon their best friend? No one wants to exist that long. Furthering this conclusion are the words of Ahmed Zewail,a professor of chemistry and physics at CalTech, whose pessimistic attitude perceives “ the continuing dearth of visionary solutions to the underlying causes of human misery – ignorance and deprivation (231). As long as humans are unhappy and there is no looming solution to this “illness” I would much rather live a short impacted life than a long drawn out one, with a facade of excellence and filled with dispair.
What if you could have both quality and quantity? We used to die at age 30, do you think ages 31-70 is currently meaningless? 10,000 years ago, long life was age 30. No one wants to merely exist. Quality of life is always a concern. What if you can have the same quality of life at age 150 as we currently do at age 70?
    In fifty years, I also believe that the the world will blend together, proud nationals becoming bold global citizens.  "I foresee all people having dual citizen ships- that of their nation-state and that of the world. The world will come to the rescue of its citizens when their national sovereigns abuse their human rights” (El-Badri 104). Actually, I believe that global unity is vital to the endurance and preservation of the human race. Yes, "we are part of a race that survives" ( Bricklin 102). But there must be a basic shift in the emphasis of humanity. People must become more concerned with other humans.  Nacy Ho, a molecular biologist, believes that change lies with people: "we again are likely to see the greatest changes in the health of the peole of the world deriving from social change, no matter how the technology changes" (Ho 157). This same view of social change, unity, and tolerance is perpatrated by Peter Marra and William H. Meadows, both are wildlife experts. They both confide that that humanity " needs to experience a foundational shift in the collective conciousness of the country, which manifests in faithfyl respect for the earth and each other. (Marra 212, Meadows 219).

    Altogether, there are tremendous hardships in store for all advancements in any field. There are always hurdles for someone to jump. But in the next fifty years, I see serious advancements in becoming a global community, full of empathy for each other, as our world is bolstered by the advents of technology and we seek meaning within eachother. And I hope to any deity that might be listening that I can be a part of a world that truly loves each of its inhabitants.

Bryant, Joseph L. "The View as I Glide By." 50 Years From Today: 60 of the World's Greatest Minds Share Their Vision of
        the Next Half Century. ed. Mike Wallace. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008. 164-166.

  Marshall, Barry. 50 Years From Today: 60 of the World's Greatest Minds Share Their Vision of the Next Half Century. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008.
  Hirose, Shigeo. 50 Years From Today: 60 of the World's Greatest Minds Share Their Vision of the Next Half Century. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008.
 Kurtzweil, Ray. 50 Years From Today: 60 of the World's Greatest Minds Share Their Vision of the Next Half Century. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008.
 Zewail, Ahmed .50 Years From Today: 60 of the World's Greatest Minds Share Their Vision of the Next Half Century. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008.
 El-Badri, Abdulla. 50 Years From Today: 60 of the World's Greatest Minds Share Their Vision of the Next Half Century. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008.
 Bricklin, Malcom. 50 Years From Today: 60 of the World's Greatest Minds Share Their Vision of the Next Half Century. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008.
 Ho, Nacy. 50 Years From Today: 60 of the World's Greatest Minds Share Their Vision of the Next Half Century. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008.
 Meadows, William H. 50 Years From Today: 60 of the World's Greatest Minds Share Their Vision of the Next Half Century. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008.
 Marra, Peter. 50 Years From Today: 60 of the World's Greatest Minds Share Their Vision of the Next Half Century. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008.
Pratchett, Terry. Hogfather. New York: HarperCollins, 1996.




version 1:  http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddq5n2x2_3gpmpt9hg

GRADE - 88/100