What the world needs now, for a better future

While working on some write-ups for my coursework, I decided I needed to get some of my idealistic dreams for the future out here.

Imagine what our ideal world will be like in 2050. It will likely be a cleaner, more efficient place to live in, with never-seen-before harmony among all the diverse groups of people. There will be no conflicts between countries, because the only kind of interaction we want are constructive, positive ones which contribute to the progress of mankind, so that life will be better for all. We will be very sustainability-conscious, for the sake of itself, for the sake of protecting and preserving the planet's wonders. None of that political agenda bullshit. Not for generating profits which will only end up held and locked away by the minority elite. Most of our jobs will be done by robots because technology would have advanced far enough to take over even those jobs you thought were too sophisticated for robots to handle. What will we do then, with all the newfound free time? Would humans be doomed to idle away their time feeling worthless? No, I say. I say we'll be able to enjoy all kinds of intellectual or hedonistic pursuits. We could make more music, make art, create beautiful or crazy things and feel a real sense of achievement for making something for the sake of it.

The way most of us are living now is in no way conducive if we want to have that kind of future. Think about how much you really need most of the stuff you buy. Do you really need to change that bag because the colour is out of season but it's still in close-to-new condition? Do you have to grab a brand new plastic bag for your groceries, or can you reuse an eco-bag many times over? Could you write on both sides of the paper before placing it in the recycling bin/trash? Most importantly, why is 'new' and 'more' > 'durable' and 'less'? Why produce so much goods and then try to sell them off, discard of all the damaged and wasted/unsold extras?

We need a change in mindset. We need to reset our priorities. Instant gratification is not everything. Money is not everything.