Fifty years ago, we got a glimpse of the future at the Seattle World's Fair. Now we're living in it. No, we're not riding monorails to work or living in domed cities, but we're talking on cell phones, reading eBooks, streaming movies, chatting on Facebook, eating fresh fruit year round, getting flu shots. No, it ain't Utopia. We may have better technology but we're still waiting for the social world to catch up. We're still plagued with racism and war and disease, still hoping for public health care and a more humane society, still dreaming the Age of Aquarius will slap some sentient beings into enlightenment but we're not holding our breath. In the meantime, I'm blogging on a laptop and listening to a Grateful Dead bootleg via my Roku streaming device. The cell phone is ringing with another robocall. My girlfriend is on her way home from that very same Seattle Center on an imperfect public transportation system. Fifty years ago, I was a kid riding on a monorail with my family and gawking at the brand new Space Needle. Just like this rain, I may see the Space Needle every day but none of its magic has worn off. See you in the future.
No comments:
Post a Comment