Thread: Predictions and Prognostications. What kinds of things do you predict for the future

I thought it would be cool to have a thread in which anyone can share predictions on any topic about what they believe the future may hold for us.

Predictions on any topic. For the "future", I'm thinking further out than this year, next year, etc. Predictions of things to come in the next 10-50+ years.

I also wouldn't want this to devolve into a political flame thread. At the same time, I would have no problem with hearing positive predictions as well as doom and gloom predictions. Life certainly has both....

A prediction (not mine) that caught my ear recently: With every future medical advancement that may boost longevity, the prediction was that humans will most likely not be able to live past 130. Heck, I'd take it. Wait, would that mean we'd have to work until we were 120??

I just thought of the topic, but have to give more thought to actual predictions. I don't consider myself an overly pessimistic person (others close to me sometimes disagree...) but I will have some doom and gloom predictions....

So.....share your predictions!

Here are a few of mine....

The earth/environment will continue to become cleaner as the decades pass. However, human consumption of resources will be significantly controlled/be permission based.

Travel even across the U.S. will also be permission based and with more restrictions with much larger natural areas being off limits to most.

Since cars will be auto-driving conveyances (no steering wheels or means of manual controls), on a good note, there will be no more high speed car chases endangering the public (law enforcement will easily be able to remotely disable any vehicle).

I do think public education will be mandatory (no home schooling or private education).

Medicine and pharmaceuticals will play an even greater role in people's lives. If not cured, many more diseases of today I believe will be slowed or controlled by medications.

Overpopulation will be accepted as fact and I believe having a child will require pre-approval/licensing. Easy in the cases of embryos created in a lab setting; in addition, however, I think hetero couples will also require pre-approval before conceiving. It would be hard to believe the rest of the world would actually require forced abortions for children conceived without approval as I understand modern day China has, but perhaps fines/taxes or some other punitive method would make conceiving above the number of children allotted unlikely.

Human diets will consist almost completely of foods lower on the food chain. Plants, insects and other invertebrates will make up the average diet for a number of reasons.

One thing I do wonder about but that I don't have a prediction for: What will the "counter culture" be? Will there be a "counter culture"? What will youth "rebel" against? In the 1960s youth rebelled against the "establishment" and "the Man" and convention. "Free love", "exploration" etc was embraced. Most beliefs held by the counter culture of the 1960s have since been adopted by the culture of today. How will youth rebel and in what ways will they rebel?

I asked a friend who works with youth what youth rebel against today. She said that, largely, they don't "rebel". They don't need to rebel like the youth of past generations because youth today aren't constrained. Compared to the past, today it's largely "anything goes".

Hmmmm....I still think rebelling against parents, "society", etc is in Youth's DNA. It will be interesting to see what that looks like in the future. Perhaps in the future since the culture today is largely the counter culture of yesterday, rather then rebel against the "establishment", the energy and rebelliousness of youth will be redirected toward whom the culture is told are the various enemies of the state (e.g. a modern day Hitler Youth)?


ChrisL

Higher Taxes and Death.

A while back, I predicted Hirlau would become a moderator.
The old 8-ball from the '60s never lies!

Oh he's not really a moderator. We just tricked him into thinking he is one.

Har har

The only prediction that I can see being a sure bet...
Another razor!

Pete <:-}

I predict that this is "over the hump day" for this country. Up or further down.
~Richard

I predict a second civil war/revolution/world War. Two many people, coupled with belief systems that don't tolerate each other, coupled with an extreme level of ignorance have come to a tipping point. I obviously don't want this to happen, and would truly regret seeing this happen in my lifetime. It's just something I see happening.

Originally Posted by sharptonn

A while back, I predicted Hirlau would become a moderator.
The old 8-ball from the '60s never lies!

I didn't even notice that had happened!

When i was a young teenager i predicted that by the year 2000 we would be flying around like the Jetsons...

Well. Lotsa' folks who do nothing seem to jet around? Seems the Jetsons are the old/new Kardishians!