What will life be like in 2085?

A new year and a new start.

I have made zero New Year’s resolutions for 2025. 

That does not mean I lack goals, expectations, etc. I simply already had those plans in place and will continue to pursue them. 

I’ve given thought to my life all the way to what I would like to do through the age of 85 years old. It’s written down somewhere. There are large gaps every so often with simply, “live” or “enjoy life" or "grow" or "learn” or "raise children.” Oh and my favorite, “actually write a book” portion. That part is set for my 50s and 60s when I feel I will have the time. 

There are concrete goals, expectations and other things I’d like to accomplish. At the end of life it tapers off considerably. Going from simply retiring to just doing my little newspaper to maybe only writing a column at the end. I never want to stop working, stop writing, or stop learning and growing and developing as a person. All of these things give me purpose, enjoyment, fullment and much more. I look forward to sharing these life experiences with readers. It’s kind of crazy to believe there are many readers of my column who have passed away. Others are just reading it for the first time and there are readers of my newspaper who may not have been born yet. Sixty years from now the year will be 2085. 

I don’t pretend to know what the newspaper will look like then. Maybe the entire thing will be digital. Maybe it will be a simple newsletter in print because I will still like things in print, and also a digital/online option. Maybe the world will be engrossed in virtual reality. Will there even be camera’s to take pictures with? Or will people simply be able to look at something, think, “take picture” or ‘capture moment’ and our computer assisted AI implants will save it for all of eternity. 

I hope life is simple and I pray that sicknesses, illness, cancer, all of the horrible wars, plaques, hunger are cured. A world of artificial intelligence, living in a computer, is not something I want. I want to see creative people, create beautiful works of art. Writing. Poetry.

If it were not for my faith I would worry about these things. But I am at peace. I believe people, myself, will be able to live as ‘simple’ lives as they so desire in the year 2085. My last hope is that the planet is still here and healthy at that time. The poor air quality from the Canadian wildfire these past couple years have been a real nuisance. People should really take care of the planet. Like our bodies, we only get one earth. 

The year of 2024 was full of a lot of physical pain. It taught me to do less, take care of myself and prioritize. For me to be the best me I can be for the world and those around me, I must take care of myself. At different times this year, that has meant different things. Speaking broadly I’ve drawn back to do further introspection. No one person has all of the answers. I simply know I must do my best to take care of myself. Others should do the same. 

Happy new year, one and all. 

P.S. I had a pleasant Christmas, three celebrations in fact. There were no tears this year from any member of my family. So I’m marking this year as a success.