Think: It is not uncommon to think that whatever era you live in represents the peak–or sum–of all human knowledge. From the perspective of the future however, our “present day” knowledge may well seem laughable. To this end, advances in quantum biology could revolutionize our understanding of how life works. If this is true then much of what we “know” today about treating diseases will be rendered obsolete tomorrow. My advice? Stay humble and stay open-minded.
Think Like a Child: If you have ever wondered why I continue to remind my subscribers to “think like a child,” look no further than the visual below from NASA. Children are innately creative, it is our inability to stay curious and humble that causes most of us to lose our “genius” status. (Hint: One good way to retain our “child-like” thinking is to get a reverse mentor.)
Think Cheaper: In some cases, the future gets cheaper than most people expect. For example, 100 years ago an international telephone was ridiculously expensive. Today, it is essentially free. While I do not expect houses to be free anytime soon, they may soon be very inexpensive.
Think Faster: Humanoid robots are coming of age.
Think Historically: Sometimes to understand the future, it helps to understand the past. I found this article about a small town in Minnesota ripping up a strip mall and replacing it with small stores to be interesting.
Afterthought: “No man knows how much he is an optimist, even when he calls himself a pessimist, because he has not really measured the depths of his debt to whatever created him and enabled him to call himself anything. At the back of our brains … [there is] a forgotten blaze or burst of astonishment at our own existence. The object of the artistic and spiritual life is to dig for this submerged sunrise of wonder; so that a man sitting in a chair might suddenly understand that he is actually alive, and be happy.”–G.K. Chesterton
