Penny For Your Thoughts by: Nancy Whitaker
It is always interesting to look back 50 plus years ago and see what people thought the world would be like in 2024.
It was predicted that 54 years into the future, we would have: cities under the sea, automated kitchens that would cook, make coffee and serve meals, cars that would run without a driver and also cars that would hover over the skies and fly. They were not too accurate in their predictions and must have had a lot of faith in future technology to believe that we would have those new inventions. Stop and think, it was in 1964, that George Jetson and his “spacey” family came rolling into our homes via television. Of course the Jetsons had all of those things and perhaps that is why those predictions were forecast. Much to my surprise, someone has came up with predictions for the year 2059. They are outlandish and I would think they are meant to be humorous, but here is what has been predicted and may make the headlines 44 years from now: The spotted owl plague threatens Northwestern United States crops and livestock. It appears as if the writer thinks we will have an abundance of the spotted owl. They will have multiplied and no longer be an endangered species. Another headline was that a baby was conceived naturally and scientists were absolutely stumped. Also Russian dictator Putin finally died at age 112. However, President Chelsea Clinton has banned all smoking. Also in politics, George Z. Bush says he will run for President in 2060. The postal service raises price of first class stamp to $17.89 and reduces mail delivery to Wednesdays only. Wow. Perhaps no one will mail anything. I hope this never happens, but one headline reveals that the average weight of Americans will drop to 250 pounds. Not only that, but, an 85-year, $75.8 billion study revealed that diet and exercise is the key to weight loss. Japanese scientists have created a camera with such a fast shutter speed they now can photograph a woman with her mouth shut. (Now that isn’t even funny.) Supreme Court rules any punishment of criminals will violate their civil rights. The average height of NBA players will be nine feet seven inches and they can only have five illegitimate children. A new federal law will require that all nail clippers, screwdrivers, fly swatters and rolled-up newspapers must be registered by January 2060. They will be considered weapons. The IRS will set the lowest tax rate at 75 percent. And finally, the Floridian voters are still having trouble with voting machines. Of course these predictions are humorous and beyond our imaginations, but you never know what the future is going to hold. I just wish we would get the kitchens that were predicted to cook for us 50 years ago.
What do you think the world will be like in 2059? Do you remember The Jetsons? Would you like to own a car that didn’t require a driver? Let me know and I’ll give you a Penny for Your Thoughts.
