The future is just around the corner

I smiled when I first heard the saying, "the future isn't what it used to be".

Now I find myself living in the future.
And realized that it might be almost as bad as living in the past.

Maybe even more foolish.

Those who are stuck in the past, relive the pain of losing loved ones, old insults, and injuries, past glories; and they often yearn for the good old days.

They end up disconnected from the present and as a result, they lose the most beautiful and powerful thing in our lives; the "now".

Children on the other hand absolutely live in the moment. The here and now.

This doesn't last long because we spend the first decade, conditioning and putting their heads in the "right place". 

Delayed gratification is difficult for a child, for they live in the "now".

As we get older we learn to plan ahead and are able to do things that result in rewards in the future. We learn to play the long game. This has allowed us as a species to do all the amazing things we have done. Art, Music. Science, Religion all are a result of this.

Problem with this is that the better you are at this, the further ahead you are able to send your head and your plans; and when you cast your gaze into the murky uncertain, distant future, you are unable, or sometimes even unwilling, to bother with the present.

So you become a time traveler, who is never at home. Your physical body might be on the couch, but you are often not there. Not really.  So where are you? Really.

In the world of the one possible future, that you have constructed?

A world that might actually be real. Someday. Or not; depending on all sorts of things lining up.

So is time travel real.

Hell yes!   And the future we go to is often the future that takes root.

The past, however, is read-only.

Except in the retelling of the historical accounts.

These are the parts that can change, given sufficient reason to remake the past.

I set out to talk about something completely different and once I got started on one of my pet topics I went off the reservation.

What I wanted to say was that I am constantly waiting for new tech to mature.
The virtual reality space the Tesla model 3 the new voice-controlled toilet whatever. It's all just around the corner and we spend all our lives dreaming of the bright and shiny future. And when these do arrive they are buggy and need years of refinement before they actually become useful. By then we are all looking towards the next big thing to hurtle us into the future.

Self drive cars. Deep Ai. Quantum Computers, and the like are all achievable in our lifetime. But what about the next generation. If only we could leapfrog over the limitations of one lifetime and get the see where it takes us.

Perhaps it's not a destination at all, but a journey.

M Parak