What has surprised you over the last twenty years? My list? Life! Beyond this, 9/11 without a doubt. The internet to some degree. The Arab Spring, Facebook and Twitter addiction and the lack of real interest in things such as ethics and other people in general.
What is hidden in plain sight right now that’s likely to change the world over the next 20 years? I’d say societal ageing and resource prices. Also the speed of developments in areas such as genetics, synthetic biology, AI, brain-machine interfaces and so on.
I believe that the major drastic change that will be kindling in the minds of youth everywhere is classic “let’s go out and play” concept that so many of today’s youth so desperately needs. If youth can make it out of their homes and find their way down streets and spend their parents or their earned cash on shops and venues etc, I hold out hope that we will see a fully real life scenario of youth doing more than any other generation before them.
With the proper use of hand held technology, carpooling, and planning, youth could do possibly anything from road trips in the middle of the school year, to starting their own interactive small time businesses. All it would really take is less time spent on profile sites like facebook, and more time discussing morals and ethics and learning new trades. If only the youth had the right role models. Let’s thank our poor American public education for that.
Imagine the possibilities youth of tomorrow could come away with, what with such easy access to information and independence, if they only had the right initial push.