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
Social Interactions
In 2040, I hope that day to day life will not have changed too much from what it is now. I feel in the previous 15 years technology has leaped forward, sometimes for the better but not always. I hope that we continue to have more personal interactions and meet socially more often. While I feel it is great that we can contact anyone in the world quickly and effectively with mobile phones, messaging apps and video calling, I feel that we are losing that face to face interaction because everyone is glued to their phones and sometimes are missing life passing them by.
hallo
Chciała bym żyć swobodniej
I do not have much imagination, but I think that progress always brings something good and through Europe you will be able to cross the railway, get off in the cities and regions that I want to see and again continue the journey to the next place. The train will be modern and fast, and the journey will be a lot of pleasure. Every man will be able to afford such a journey. Perhaps air travel will also be available to everyone and what you will travel will be a matter of individual choice.Every person will be able to see the beautiful cities of , like Brussels or Paris, you will be able to see the Loire Valley and the surroundings of Lake Garda.This would be a great relaxation after work, which today requires a lot of dedication from people and takes more and more private time. In the pursuit of money, we leave small and large pleasures behind us and do not think about what we lose.
hallo
Sąmoningi ir saugūs
In the world of the future, people's kindness and cooperation are strengthened. Governments have taken many firm and undeniable decisions about future well-being, not all of which are for the benefit of the people (e.g. tax rises), but society is conscious and, once it is understood, rejoices at , that these decisions make life good, albeit financially more difficult. We are safe!
hallo
Spokoj i radość do końca życia
I hope that in 2040 I will still live, together with my family, in health, that then it will be easier, quieter, calmer.I would like to have peace in the world, so that the world will be more natural, as truly as it once was, and not burdened with some sick laws and absurdities.I would like there to be as few sick people as possible, so that all the diseases of the world will be cures , access to a doctor will be a pleasure and all the necessary tests a man would have done immediately and free of charge.I would like people to stop robbing the state, because then there would be a chance to somehow improve this world.Let all absurd laws that supposedly care about the environment disappear.Let the country be ruled by wise and good people.
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