I'm considering myself tagged. TChem did this, so I will, too.

So here’s the task: Think about the world of fifteen years hence (2022, if you’re counting along at home). Think about how technology might change, how fashions and pop culture might evolve, how the environment might grab our attention, and so forth. Now, take a sentence or two and answer…

• What do you fear we’ll likely see in fifteen years?
• What do you hope we’ll likely see in fifteen years?
• What do you think you’ll be doing in fifteen years?

First, the fears (and there are a lot of fears):

1. Global climate change will have progressed to the point where a large number of species have gone extinct, and many of the remaining species require intensive human intervention to keep going. The "breadbasket" of the U.S. is no longer viable for growing crops and we will have to import the majority of our food from other nations. Water will have become a major problem; in some regions of the world, there are tribal wars waging over water availability.

2. People will have continued down a path of rudeness and self-absorption, to the point that there are regularly fights and riots at movie theaters, grocery stores, etc. Most "people of goodwill" have become essentially hermits, communicating via the Internet and ordering all the things they need for life to be delivered.

3. "Neural implants" will take the place of learning. You want to know German? Go and get chipped and suddenly you can speak the language. Libraries will be seen as obsolete and universities (well, those that didn't become solely research-dedicated institutes) will close down. But like many things, the "quick and easy way" leads to problems, both medical and epistemological.

4. We may see a civil war in this country. Not sure who the two sides would be for sure, but some days I worry about it.

5. There will be some kind of horrible emerging disease that becomes the new Plague.

6. A governmental-run "health system" will develop where everyone is issued a card that records their weight, height, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, blood sugar, etc. (And there will be weekly required checks). Instead of supermarkets, people will herd into "feeding centers" twice a day, where, based on the information on their card, they will be issued a ration of food that is deemed "appropriate" for their body size and medical conditions. There will also be state-run exercise programs that people must participate in for a period of time each day (depending on their body status). This will consist of riding exercise bikes or running on treadmills, which will generate electricity to be used to air-condition the homes of the government leaders.

Hopes for the future (to get away from the fears):

1. Fusion technology will come on-line, and we will have a relatively non-polluting supply of electricity. (I was just talking about that with a student yesterday; apparently France is gearing up to start a fusion plant). Hybrid cars will become much better, widespread, and more efficient. We will figure out a way to have algae make hydrogen for hydrogen cells, effectively making a solar powered (well, by several steps of removal) car. Improvements will be made in the efficiency of just about everything and we will find we've invented our way out of the energy crisis. Oil will be used to make plastics and other products out of.

2. Medical advances will eliminate cystic fibrosis, leukemia, diabetes, Alzheimer's. People will live until their bodies wear out, but they will LIVE until that happens - there will be little need for nursing homes or long-term-care facilities. We will figure out ways to repair spinal-cord injuries and we will learn how to "grow" new hearts that are a perfect genetic match for people with diseased hearts.

3. There will be a social movement for people to "take back their time." (this is sort of like TChem's reference to the slow-foods movement). People will look around themselves and go, Why the heck am I killing myself with work? I want to plant a garden/learn to weave/go for long walks/read Shakespeare. Corporations and businesses will realize that people are demanding more time off, and they will grant it. The pace of life will generally slow down. People will realize that cell phones are more of a nuisance than a boon and they will be used exclusively to deal with emergencies in the future. People will start to define themselves by what they are interested in, rather than by what they do for a living. The standard "meet and greet" question at parties will become, "So...what do you really love doing?"

4. As an extension of 3, there will develop a greater sense of community. People will know their neighbors again. Clubs and social groups that were dying will begin to acquire new members. It will not be hard to find people willing to volunteer their time. There will again be parades and town picnics and things like that. As a result of the renewed sense of community and "looking out for each other," crime rates will fall.

5. The Internet will continue to grow and expand; people will be able to tune into concerts or museum exhibitions from anywhere in the world and experience them with almost as good sound and visuals as they would if they were there. The arts, far from dying, will flower, because of the huge audience they can draw upon.

6. There will be a big upswing of interest (bigger even than now) in heirloom varieties of vegetables and fruits and breeds of livestock. Everyone who owns a plot of land, or has access to a community garden, will grow something. Extras will be shared with those who are unable to garden.

7. We'll come up with good technology for recyclable/biodegradable-renewable stuff. No longer will we see Styrofoam cups littering the roadways. And there will be a strong societal pressure against littering or otherwise uglifying the landscape. Billboards will be banned in lots of places. (Lady Bird Johnson will be smiling down at all of us.)

8. We will move away from a celebrity-addled culture, to one where entertainment is often 'made at home' - lots of people will (in their new free time) take up musical instruments, or learn acting, or will do family-and-friends oriented things. "Folk" culture will experience a big growth.

What do I think I'll be doing?

Well, provided #3 of my fears has not come true, I will most likely still be teaching. If something has gone badly wrong (like, all teaching is done over the Internet in the future, or something), maybe I'll have shifted over to more of an underground, apprentice-y sort of situation where I take on a few students at a time and work with them intensively. (But realistically speaking, I think I'll still be teaching much as I am now). Or I'll have shifted to teaching handcrafts. Or working as an artisan. Or attending seminary. Or running a small farm where I raise herbs or heirloom vegetables. Or be a beekeeper.

I will be 53 so I will probably be thinking about retirement and wondering if I've socked enough money away.

I'd LIKE to have a book or two of essays published, and maybe some patterns here and there. And more journal articles. And maybe a chapter in a "serious" book (I mean, one pertaining to my career).

I'd also like to think that, if I hadn't exactly found an anam cara, that I'd have some kind of a chap available to hang around with and go to the movies (if the movies still exist), that sort of thing. Or a circle of friends that's not so obsessed over their kids' soccer games.

I'd like to feel like I'd had some kind of positive impact on the world. Not sure what form that would take - discovering something would be nice but I don't seem to be the discovering sort. I think I'd settle for one of my Youth Group kids coming back after college and saying to me, "You know, you really made a difference in my life; I didn't feel very good about myself before I started attending Youth Group but you always listened to me and I came to believe that God loved me thanks to what you said."