Welcome to the world in 50 years.
When was the last time you followed a recipe without having an image in your mind of what the result would be? Probably never. The same may be true for most of your business and private projects. You know what it is that you’re creating and why.
This narrative is written by 14 and more authors from very diverse ages, genders and backgrounds. Interestingly, visions about a desirable world in 50 years are astonishingly similar in this group, it seems like we all want the same thing across various demographic backgrounds. We got together, and tried to answer the following questions over the course of a couple of weeks: how do we organise supply, structure the society, manage knowledge, relate to people, nurture our body and mind the spirit? Of course, these dimensions are interwoven. They crystallised out of months and even years of discussion in other constellations. We tried to look at the questions separately which worked for all but one — how do we relate to people? — which is such an integral part of life that it can be found in all other dimensions. Our answers were woven into this narrative.
The sun sparkles in your eye, you wake up and you begin a new day. Time to get up, even if your family is still asleep. You go to the kitchen and set up a coffee. You open the door to the backyard on your way to pick some fresh berries and nuts for breakfast. Using your fully developed senses you know what your family needs — we humans have developed a real understanding of each others’ words that goes beyond semantics. Even instant messengers have a third checkmark to show a message is not just seen but understood. But while the technological advancements have made digital communication as complete as possible, nothing beats physical contact and warmth.
At this time of the day it’s rather quiet. You only see one of your neighbours picking some tea-leaves for the morning tea in the community garden that is part of the house compound you and your family lives in, which is entirely run and supervised by technology — gardening agents: they monitor the garden, the soil, temperature, water and light of each plant. They seed new plants, supervise growing season and harvest. All fruit and veggies are available for everyone to use and pick. The garden produces sufficient food supplies for your entire community all year round — no matter whether your community is located in the countryside or in the centre of a vibrant city. Seasons are reflected and a natural cycle is in place, while using indoor vertical farms any type of plant grows anywhere in the world. Demand and supply is controlled and supervised through monitoring data points by artificial intelligence. As most of our diet today is plant based, it’s easy to find everything we need in our community garden. And yet, if you want to participate and take care of your own garden patch you can always do this. There is a smart interface that you can use and engage in, setting your own schedule and taking care of the plants.
Part of the garden is a herbal sanctuary and you decided to take care of it for 3 months. Not because it’s required but because it’s part of your own learning journey. You work with herbal essential oils to treat your own body as well as your family. There is little need to treat illnesses as herbal remedies keep your body, mind and spirit in balance, and enhance the well-being of yourself and your family. You check the human-machine interface and make a schedule for today. It’s time to cut some lavender and harvest the thyme patch. Your learning is centered around these herbs — how for example lavender supports mental health and calms the mind.
On your way back to the kitchen you pick strawberries and some mint leaves to go with them and start making breakfast. This hour of the day is great as you have time to start your day in silence and in tune with nature, your body and spirit. You think about the next project in your learning journey which is centered around local plants like wild oregano, lady’s mantle and calendula and how they influence and support humans on all levels.
As you start contemplating, you recall a conversation you had with your grandma yesterday. She told you about the time years ago when having sufficient food, clothing and everything else humans require became a “common” and essential human right. Part of the constitution of humanity. Honestly, it was only the last step and written confirmation of a process that started in the 2020s. And while it was more of a testimony than a real necessity your grandma, a professor for holistic development (formerly called sustainable development), still loves to share the experience and the process again and again; and the joy that comes with it to know that all human beings can live a fulfilling life and do not have to worry about food, clothing, how to get from A to B, energy for their houses, etc. That it is a global constitutional right for all human beings to be fully supplied with everything needed and that supply of goods is a commons.
Your family starts to wake up and gathers around the large dining table. Like every morning there is a lot of conversation around the table. Everybody is excited about their day ahead — may it be learning new things, working on a project or just being in the here and now.
The door bell rings and a friend is picking you up. You are planning to visit one of the large herbal and vegetable gardens that are located on the top of city hall. It is fully integrated into the building structure. Energy supply is guaranteed — the house structure and architecture is set-up in such a way that it “produces” all energy required for free. Through “built-in” electrolysis it can also store energy in form of H2 and supply it to cars, drones and other shared vehicles abundantly. Commonly used transportation vehicles around the globe are running on similar systems and are all carbon neutral. Together, you take one of the freely available vehicles and travel to the city hall. On arrival, you simply leave the car and it finds its own next ride. Entering the hall, there is a large un-conference taking place on community-sharing marketplaces in the different city quarters. Today’s topic: how can we as a city enrich the learning experience between the different markets? How can we encourage the sharing of not only supply but also knowledge and creativity around it?
As supply is a common good for all human beings — engaging with it has become a truly creative process. You are not defining yourself in terms of how much you have of things like air, water, food, clothing, cars, houses, jewellery, virtual and physical machines. Working with supplies have become part of our human creative processes, creating a balance between us and our world. In every moment, we are able to treasure and celebrate the beauty of creation.
In former times these conferences would have taken place with politicians, which were elected leaders of the citizens, and leaders of economic organisations behind closed doors. You are glad these times are long gone because today everyone takes part in these conversations regularly. They are a vital part of the global system that organises supply for humanity. Through these deliberations we provide input regarding what is important for us humans. We also guide them in difficult decisions by providing ethical constraints through these discussions. This way they learn from a constant and global conversation where and how which of the few scarce resources are put to best use.
You and your friend take the elevator and go on the rooftop to enter the large city hall garden which is based on local plants and completely local production. So far you have learned a lot about how to seed, grow and harvest local herbs. Today’s session is about how you can bring them to use and help them to benefit mental, physical and spiritual health. You are excited and ready for a full day of immersion. Thinking again about your grandma and your joint conversation, you appreciate for a moment what is given to you and everybody on this planet. You get ready to work.
Because we want to shape our future proactively, we’re engaged in movements. Working in small teams all over the world, the goals of most movements are clear and working in a similar direction: to help provide what is needed while keeping ecosystems balanced — in soil and soul. What is needed is surfaced through an ongoing and structured dialog on a local and on a global level. Open-hearted cooperation and collaboration are the norm, all resources are shared and co-used in multiple ways. We’re engaging where we want to, we’re doing what we love and we help millions of people with what we do.
One of the collaborative efforts is the local conflict resolution commission where you are active as a member. A complaint has been registered: tourists from a different biome have not followed the local eco-tourist requirements, causing some potential damage to the pristine jungle ecosystem and endangering themselves. You verify the facts with one of the many miniature park rangers in the mobile “sensor network”, query the system on previous incidences with their originating tribe, and issue a texted mediation council appointment to the parties involved. The offending family (two married men and their 7 year old son Gerry) are contacted in their flying vehicle and self-report to your home office at the edge of the biome. They are apologetic and explain they made a mistake when little Gerry leaped off the prescribed tree-top climbing trail (‘off piste’) when he chased a clouded leopard. They should have set limits on his personal fly-harness. As a clerk you can register the misdemeanour and allow the family to go home, you even make a joke about little Gerry perhaps starting studies to be a biome park ranger like you did when you were 9 years old (you can start any career course at any age). For repeat offenders and non-reporters there are rehabilitation programs, but this seems like a simple mistake. Gerry’s excess energy and curiosity gives you an idea to suggest to the family try the new biome virtual interaction facility you have at the office that is linked to the biome park. They jump at the chance.
As the family enters the virtual interaction game park you feel the shaking of the earth. The predicted earth-quake has come, the time was not precisely forecast so you have to execute the evacuation plan a bit earlier than expected. You help the family back to the safety of their flying vehicle and ride with them to your air platform. All communities here have sufficient flying vehicles to move into the atmosphere for a few days. All nearby communities are adapted, housing is either fully biodegradable or consists of smart nano-materials. By the time you return, you know the miniature machines will already have practically rebuilt your house, or it will have rebuilt itself. Plans cover all eventualities, including multiple catastrophes. Assistance is given across the globe.
The view from the air platform is breathtaking! Below you the expanse of land and ocean mirrors puffy white cumulonimbus, their trailing shadows below — while you are enjoying the sight, your voting assistant texts you. The daily vote cannot be decided by the algorithm you configured so you skim the brief your assistant has prepared — and after reflecting on your basic values, beliefs and community traditions — cast your vote on the issue. You notice your assistant has faithfully participated in 6325 votes this year already. Being on the platform is a good time to catch up.
But voting is not the only thing you love doing up there on the platform with the beautiful view. It also is a great time to broaden your horizon and sometimes even contribute to the knowledge of the world. It’s one way of co-creating a balanced planet in the best possible way:
How would you apply the tremendous knowledge and capabilities we already have accumulated?
Firstly, knowledge is now universally accessible. You can easily access it via your brain interface. Technology automatically translates available knowledge to all languages and conditions for easiest understanding. Imagine the difference! You are invited to apply it in your projects, pushing our knowledge frontier even further! That’s how we thrive — growing and revitalising knowledge constantly. You publish what you learn. You are rewarded by the global community through intelligent mechanisms that ensure great incentives. It is fun!
Maybe you feel a calling to be a teacher or tutor because you have high levels of empathy and great didactical talent? These occupations are nowadays highly regarded and respected. We understand that learning must be fun, motivational and sometimes even challenging. We want to make sure students flourish to their maximum potential, but it had better be playful! For this, the best talent is needed.
Sure, people could choose to download knowledge using microchips and other enhanced technologies. You can use this selectively. It’s our individual learning journey that makes us unique. That’s the secret sauce to further breakthroughs. Otherwise you would just be a copy.
You could even be more innovative: our new interfaces allow you to “sense” the state of knowledge and “feel” missing pieces. Use it as your guidance for innovative projects and to find new connections within the body of knowledge and to enrich the entire community. Really tough problems are tackled by movements, which work in a coordinated manner, say if a specific instrument must be built.
We do have knowledge access limitations as well. They are carefully set by our global council. To protect our communities, you need to qualify for certain areas of knowledge based on maturity and mindset. We hope to lift these restrictions as our global consciousness continues to mature and evolve.
Your body is your temple, your source of energy, and your very own substrate of your mindfulness and creativity. We are what we eat! Regenerative gardening and farming are essential pillars of tribal living. The abundant harvests from these efforts generate healthy, plant-based and locally-produced food which is your main method for nurturing the body. Superfoods that are just right for our body have been created via gene editing.
Growing, cooking and enjoying food is such an important and beautiful part of your day and social life. This rediscovered focus on working with plants to produce food as energy for our bodies has led to the regeneration of the planet’s ecosystem, serves as a basis for cross-cultural exchange and social connection, and represents a form of human fulfillment. You lead a mindful lifestyle in connection with your body, mind and soul — you understand and embrace the concept of energy exchange. You experience this in flow moments when moving your body in nature, never losing connection with Mother Earth.
In case of anomalies, AI-based robots and nano-sensors issue warnings and suggest remedies. Hospitalisation is for rare cases and healthcare cost have dropped close to zero. Your self-healing capabilities are astonishing, and occasionally augmented by natural energy medicine, quantum healing, body-mind-development, and heart-brain-coherence. You are very fortunate that all these services are completely free for all humans and can be accessed anywhere on the planet. Advances on telomere care have resulted in extended health expectancy and life spans and given you the opportunity to die well, at an age of your choice, without fear, in love energy.
As the afternoon carries on, you decide to take a walk and be by yourself.
While you’re walking along that peaceful path along the meadows you reach that favorite white willow next to the spring. You close your eyes and pause. It’s still — around you and within you. Just that soft breeze going through the long grass that gently touches your bare legs. Water bubbling in the creek, birds tweeting. You can sense your fingertips pulsating from that living energy that flows through you and that guides your path. You’re completely at ease — and slowly sense that deep feeling of connectedness, of Being, and becoming one with this moment, with the air you breathe, and Mother Earth around you — realizing that this moment, this experience is absolutely unique and real. You feel like that little boy, full of wonder and awe when looking at the stars.
After you had found balance between the physical and the spiritual dimension of your life, the years of regular contemplation and reflection gave you access to this space of unlimited amazement, richness and spaciousness. You came to experience the intelligence that completely supports and defends you, and that has always and everywhere guided your path — profound and so full of love.
And you cultivate that love, and the wisdom that you know nothing, which let’s you Be and Act fully immersed and aware of the here and now. You’re not afraid my friend — quite the opposite — by practicing acceptance & mindfulness, shared sexual and non-sexual joy and enthusiasm your curiosity to explore the unknown has become a higher source of energy, your individual uniqueness, guiding your intuition, your life, your decision making. It allows you to access your full potential and thrive in balance with our soil.
You reflect on the profound truth that religions as we knew them were using different words and stories to describe the same higher source of energy and power — the spirit — and through our spiritual approach to life we all embody the role of lighting the path.
You open your eyes, and you’re back at the little spring under the willow. The sunset makes you aware that you completely lost your sense of time and space over the last 2 hours. You’re feeling warm and vibrating, a bright smile of gratitude on your face as you continue to make your way into a bright future.
You are grateful for the mental training and breathing techniques, that you learned already in your childhood days. Over the last years you explored with your friends the science and practice of neuroscience, quantum healing, yoga, shared sexual experiences and various flow practices, helping you to keep a peaceful mindset, a healthy body, and a deep brain-heart-connection. You look forward to sunset when you meet your circle of friends to enjoy moments of profound togetherness through dialogue, dancing and doing from the heart…
With frequent immersion in nature we find calm, connect to Mother Earth and its needs, knowing that they are our needs as we are part of nature.
This is just a beginning. We invite you to participate in creating images of the world in fifty years. We also invite you to participate in the building of this world. If you know of projects, organisations, people who are already building pieces of such a future, please let us know! We will link them from here for everyone to find them!
We collected some links of projects active towards building a future similar to the one we tried to describe. You can find this list here. We invite you to send us any links you might find relevant in this context. We invite you to have a discussion or a similar process in order to challenge our views!
The authors
Sandy Brueckner
Govinda Hiemer
Joscha Raue
Andy Kaul
Robinson Haag
Gesine Haag
Gerry Haag
Timothy Duffy
Sebastian Fittko
Tyler Mongan
Marian Krüger
Ron Wertlen
Thomas Schindler
