The Future– Your Part, My Part, Our Part

“The best way to predict the future is to create it”

– Peter Drucker

I think a lot about the dynamics we share as the human species. At times, it can definitely feel like there is no unity and the world is filled with such “bad” and hateful people. And while there are probably a fair share of people that fit this unfortunate description, the future is something that I would like to think is a collective issue, meaning that it is something we all have to deal with. The future I wrote about predicts that there will be major shifts in both the education and occupational fields, with the coexistence of technology. For the most part, I would say that we are generally going in the right direction. However, to make sure that my prediction of the future comes to be a reality, society (myself included) must share a level of compassion and alliance with each other.

First, we need to address the issue of how un-united humanity seems to be. From a world-wide perspective, it is unbelievable that enormous disparities continue to exist. I find myself wondering how there are numerous people who live with an unrealistic surplus of wealth and yet also so many more people who struggle to survive. As I’ve mentioned before, I do recognize the benefits and prominence of technology. However, I think that people, specifically those in charge of big corporations, tend to develop technology to help those who do not need it more than those who are in incredible need. For instance, developing refrigerators that double as a virtual assistant rather than technology that can serve people in third world countries. Since humans are ultimately the force driving technological developments, we as a society need to push large technological corporations to be creating technology that helps all of humanity. This way, we can ALL work collaboratively to “save” the future of our survival. When it comes to new ideas and solutions, we tend to only think to utilize people who live in industrialized countries. However, just imagine the variety of new ideas and solutions we could accumulate if we could pick the brains of people outside of this bubble we’ve created. 

Furthermore, I think it is difficult to identify my individual role in making sure my idea of the future happens because the pressure is so overwhelming. There are various routes I can see myself taking that have the overall goal of compassion. For example, one extremely large issue I can see is the controversy over climate change. Despite the clear evidence, there are so many people who continue to ignore climate change as an issue. Due to this ignorance, there is not enough effort being put into fighting climate change, which will inevitably doom us all. From an individual perspective, I can see myself taking a part in either spreading awareness or possibly discovering new solutions from a scientific standpoint. Alternatively, I can also see myself taking a role more focused on humanitarian causes. Similar to points mentioned previously, my role might be helping people face-to-face in various ways I have yet to discover. Nevertheless, I have confidence that my role in society will work towards a promising future. 

The future of humankind is unpredictable, but there are various ways that we can work together to ensure the survival and flourishing of generations to come. Whether your role in life impacts one person or a hundred, it is important that we continue to strive regardless of how unknown the future may be. It may seem obvious that my work or your work alone will not be enough, but if I step up and you step up, and your friend steps up, and their friend steps up and so on, the impact we could have on our future is infinite.