top of page

Ordinary mornings in 2042

Anonymous

April 26, 2023

Ordinary mornings in 2042

This image was generated with Dream Studio AI.

7am, March 28th 2042:
My personal assistant wakes me up with my favorite workday song and turns on the coffee machine. An ordinary alarm clock would perfectly do the job, but the automatic coffee machine is convenient after all.
While I brush my teeth, my personal assistant displays daily news on the mirror in front of me. Scientists came up with a new way to efficiently store an infinite amount of energy. I guess we are close to reaching complete carbon-neutrality for electricity production (8 years ahead of the plan!).
The next article reports that the 4-day workweek which was implemented in the EU in 2035 shows promising results. People started exercising more, spent more time with their families, attended more cultural events and participated more in local politics. I would tend to confirm it in my own case.
The following article reports how the unified EU-wide social security system enables workers to swiftly move from one country to another with significantly less paperwork and administrative hurdles. I always wondered why it was not implemented earlier.
The next article discusses an ongoing problem in our society. Biotechnology has enabled humans to amplify their physical and cognitive abilities. These technologies became increasingly affordable (though still quite expensive), and it led to a dualistic society. I keep asking myself what we can do about it, probably nothing. We made a lot of progress in guaranteeing and protecting freedoms to choose our life paths, education, careers, whom we love, how we dress, which god we worship and so on and so on. I guess choosing to enhance our abilities is also part of these choices.
The last topic of my daily news review concerns the increase of retirement age. Apparently it's a side effect of the 4-day workweek. I guess I won't be retired before 2085 or something… But at least most bullshit jobs have been taken over by AI and automated systems and I have all the freedom to choose a professional activity that fulfills my life goals.

related stories

hallo
l'europa che vorrei
europe has remained a bastion of democracy in the world, indeed the only one because the usa is in the midst of decadence. europe has welcomed large masses of immigrants and has become a multicultural and secular continent. thanks to them the birth rate has improved and there are pensions and jobs for all. we have squared off with the issues of sustainability and energy independence and have freed ourselves from the usa
hallo
Tillbaka till framtiden.
I would like to see a clearer cultural and physical demarcation. A world with less social interaction where you instead get to experience things through people talking and communicating directly with each other. You get to travel around and discover good and bad things yourself. Today, you should always have everything. People do not feel good about this and if everything is mixed, you lose the uniqueness. We need to go back and protect what makes Swedes Swedes etc... development is always needed but it is the village that slowly steers it on the right course. Not a few individual residents who do what they want. We need to be more sensible and question people and their motives. Reality has shown that it is not enough to ask and wait for an answer. Some people will do anything to get what they want for themselves, regardless of whether it destroys others. Some just want to have without being prepared or willing to give back to society. Even worse, some are so brainwashed that it is not even done with malicious intent but they really believe that it is right. They completely lack critical thinking because they read a single book.
hallo
Jasna przyszłość Europy po dekarbonizacji
The decarbonization of industry has left Europe without a source of electricity. The construction of a fusion power plant is further in its infancy, the greens have led to the closure of most nuclear power plants. Electricity is there when the wind blows or the sun shines. The continent has become virtually 100% dependent on supplies from Asia and North America (industrial goods) and South America (agricultural goods).
hallo
Später
Oh yes, luckily everything turned out well again. Back then, my dear granddaughter, things looked bad in Germany and the world. The only really nice thing in 2025 was your birth. Oh, how happy we were. And we are still happy for you and your brother and your two cousins, who were born a little later. But you wanted to know what it was like back then. Back then, we had to vote at short notice in Germany, there were quarrels within the old government. And then the shock - because the elections didn't turn out as originally expected. There was a lot of trouble within the parties, one party was so divided that it disbanded. What a stroke of luck for humanity and especially for Germany. Yes, I know you shake your head at so much stupidity today, but people were actually dissatisfied and therefore backed the wrong horse. Back then, there was a war between Russia and Ukraine. Fortunately for all of us, a ceasefire was initially achieved with the help of Europe. The President of the United States at the time, who had no idea about politics, almost triggered the Third World War. But then Europe came together and formed a strong unit, which didn't impress the president very much. You shouldn't speak ill of the dead, but in this case it was the best thing that could have happened to the world, because this man suffered a heart attack and died before he could do any worse. At last something changed for the better in the world and in Germany, too, tax money was no longer wasted. I could tell you stories about the nonsensical things cities and municipalities did with tax money. But you wouldn't believe that. It's also too far-fetched. But now, look how nice the cities look, lots of greenery and little car traffic in the city centers. Isn't it also nice that everyone can borrow a very small e-car instead of an e-scooter to get around town? And it can even be folded up, like mini folding bikes used to be. But you don't even know them anymore. This tiny e-car doesn't go fast, so you can drive it without a license. The car industry, which was almost at the end of its tether back then, has changed tack. And look at these wheelchairs that follow patients around. That's a delight. Now even sick and old people can walk a few steps and then sit down again. And in your school everything is digital, no more 1000 copies, although you had books, but I still think it's great that the books have remained in paper form. It's also wonderful that the daily newspapers still exist. It's incredibly nice that you were taught at school how important it is to get information in a serious way. And it's great that social media is only available from the age of 18. And people now take a closer look and don't spread as much crap as they did 15 years ago. But the best thing of all is that wars and unrest in the world are a thing of the past. Instead of rattling sabres, people talk to each other, instead of just having their cell phones in front of their eyes (and that was actually the case. Some people couldn't be without their cell phones for an hour), people talk and discuss and play.
Join #OurFutures now!

The future is shaped by our ideas and our actions today. Tell us about your visions of the future and help us create a futures narrative aimed at inspiring citizens, policy-makers and foresight experts alike!

Our-futures-banner-coloured_v3.jpg

The European Commission support does not constitute endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained.

ERA_logo.jpg

We support the European Research Area aimed at creating a single, borderless market for research, innovation and technology in the EU.

©OurFutures 2025, All rights reserved.

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
bottom of page