It is interesting for me to observe how conversation topics with my friends have evolved with our age. Before we reached retirement age our discussions focused on women/relationships, travelling to exotic places, our professional activities, children’s future, debates about Obama’s birthplace, sports, movies etc. In more recent years, the focus has shifted to health issues, social security benefits, reminiscing about life, existence of God, financial planning in old age and so on. During one such recent group conversation, one friend posed a profound question: “Do you guys want to live a long life or are you content with your life as you lived so far and ready to happily check out when time comes?”
A lively discussion followed, with many agreeing that living a long life is full of suffering and hardship, not only for oneself but for people one depends on; it does not make sense to prolong life, especially as all of us have already enjoyed life as far as marriage, raising children, professional career, home ownership, travel, dining, etc. are concerned. There were discussions about various senior living communities, their benefits and expenses, and a comparison between life at old age in the US versus that in India. One friend, Kamal, surprised everyone by his declaration that he would like to live as long as possible. His reasons were interesting: he said that he is intrigued by several fascinating developments going on in the world from social, geographical and technological perspectives which are all nearing a grand finale; he would like to live long enough to see the final outcomes.
He did not elaborate but I was fascinated by his comments and started to wonder if I would like to see completion of certain ongoing events before I die. Here are the ones I thought to be most significant. Artificial Intelligence (AI): While we were getting used to interacting with Amazon Alexa and hands-free driving in a Tesla, ChatGPT robots were introduced in November 2022. I realized that AI is at our doorstep and ready to serve us whether we want it or not. These days, no matter what activity you are engaged in, chances are that you will end up interacting with a robot. Despite claims to the contrary, they are not quite as efficient as live persons yet.
However, it has suddenly become clear that with some improvements these robots will take over virtually all jobs in all sectors except perhaps construction and agriculture. Economists are already talking about Universal Basic Income (UBI) to help people who would be rendered unemployed. But what is the endgame? Will robots eventually displace all humans and run the world? Elon Musk has already established an automated factory which produces robots which in turn can run other automated factories. It sounds to me too much like the human reproduction process. Eventually there will be millions of people on UBI without jobs. What will they do with their idle time? Will their idle brains become millions of “devil’s workshops”? Or perhaps they will turn spiritual, and the world will become a gigantic retreat for meditation and worshipping God.
It is certainly worth the wait to see the climactic end. Global Warming: Next in line for me is global warming and climate change. Will sea levels really rise by the end of this century to an extent that all “low-lying” terrains will be flooded resulting in displacement if not deaths of millions of people? Will it be uncomfortably hot or cold for us to live? Will weather patterns change so drastically that our concepts of seasons and all seasonal activities would have to be redefined? I do not quite believe all computer model-based predictions because, as a physicist, I know that it is virtually impossible to accurately model all the complicated factors that are involved. Change in Population: What about population growth?
Will it continue to increase exponentially causing a drain on our food, energy, and other resources? Is it possible that perhaps the population will reach a maximum and then start to decrease because of dominance of LGBTQ culture, a general reluctance to bring children on this earth or even to get married? Will the population decline be good or bad for society? Technology: It is certain that technology will continue to advance, perhaps in unexpected directions. No one anticipated personal computers and then smart phones to take over our lives. Are there other potential inventions around the corner? On the medical front, will there be a cure for cancer and Alzheimer’s?
Will more medical breakthroughs cause people to live longer? I can anticipate major new inventions in transportation. Perhaps we will see a revival of supersonic jets which would allow us to fly between any two places in the world in a few hours. With the rapid success of drone technology, it is likely that we will see more use of driverless cars flying through space. The vision of a colony on Mars could become a reality. Perhaps there would be spaceships invented that would take us there much faster than any craft we can imagine now. There will be new ways of generating oxygen, food, fuel and other ingredients necessary for our survival on Mars as well as new ways for communication with “mother earth”. UFOs: Speaking of space, another item is a UFO. UFO sightings have been reported for decades. Some people even believe that extraterrestrial aliens not only exist but are already here on earth hiding in plain sight.
It is only recently that the government seems to be taking those claims of UFO sightings seriously. The government is reportedly investigating more than 650 such sightings. A Harvard University professor even said that one of those sightings seems to be an indication of alien technology. Perhaps we are on the verge of a close encounter with aliens from outer space. I am curious to see how they look and if their spaceship resembles a flying saucer. Would they be friendly creatures, or would the encounter be a violent confrontation? India: With all the advancements going on in India, I am curious to see how far India can progress.
Atul Prasad Sen wrote many years ago that “Bharat abar jagat sabhay shreshtha ason lobey” (Bharat will again take the best seat at the world stage). India is projected to become the world’s third largest economy within the next few years. Indian IT engineers might play a major role in developing and deploying AI. India already has the largest population. Perhaps Atul Prasad was right, and Indians would rule the world. World War III: There are also dark possibilities like World War III involving nuclear arsenals which could wipe out half the world’s population. Although Iran’s nuclear infrastructure has been destroyed, they still have the technical and financial resources to rebuild facilities over time. Countries with insane dictators like North Korea can also start a war at any time without valid reason. The war could also take the form of a biological warfare using viruses like Covid. Kamal is right. It may not be a bad scenario if we can live long enough to experience the grand finale of many of these developments.
(The writer, a physicist who worked in industry and academia, is a Bengali settled in America.)