What will life be like if we live another 20 years. What must we do to adapt to the changes coming. We must learn to “BE LIKE WATER”.
As I was drifting into sleep the other night, I started thinking about clarity of purpose, identity and how they are affected by exponential change. I am 77 years old. Let’s assume I will live to 97 years old. What will life be like at the end of those 20 years? I jumped up and wrote some notes; some are incorporated below.
Our world will change greatly during that time. Some suggest that the World will undergo some major environmental, social and political changes during that period, many of which will go against existing values and attitudes. Some suggest that our lives will become far more institutionally managed and our personal lives will be subject to more institutional regulation. Others say we will have more individual freedom and less regulation. How does one adapt to either? By “BEING LIKE WATER”. Sounds simple. So, what does it all involve?
Technology will advance exponentially. We will probably reach a couple of technology plateaus, but it will still continue forward. Driverless cars. Pilotless airplanes. Space travel. Telepathic communication (”Beam me up, Scotty”). Lots of Star Trek and Star Wars style changes. What other changes will we get to see during our lifetime? Look at what has happened in the last 20 years. Major communications changes. Major social changes, some good, some arguably not so good. Some really pushing the envelope. Greater World Community and cooperation is probable. It’s all brand new to a 20 year old, but disruptive to a 77 year old, or even a 50 year old.
Trying to project the future is nearly impossible. Being ready to adapt to the future is critical. How to adapt? Learn. Pay attention to trends – social and business. Be prepared to shift your thinking quickly. Don’t get boxed into one thing. Be open to new things. Be healthy and physically fit. Learn and adapt to new technology. I think we can adapt just fine. We may not like all of it but we’ll learn to live with all the changes; they are taking us into the future.
HAVE FUN WITH LIFE. COME ALIVE, FEEL ALIVE, BE ALIVE! Don’t let the world take you down. Get into the FLOW OF LIFE and let it carry you. IT COULD BE ONE HELL OF A RIDE! As BRUCE LEE said: “BE LIKE WATER!” Learn to adjust to the ebb and flow of life. Flow into the nooks and crannies of life. Water flows. Water adapts to the environment it is in. Water can destroy a town, or lie dormant as a stagnant pond. Bruce Lee said:
“Water is the softest substance in the world, yet it can penetrate the hardest. Water is so fine that it is impossible to grasp a handful of it; strike it, yet it does not suffer hurt; stab it, and it is not wounded; sever it, yet it is not divided. It has no shape of its own, but molds itself to the receptacle that contains it.” Bruce Lee, Artist of Life, p.50
While this article is from notes that I wrote to myself about thoughts that came to me when I was half asleep, I would guess that most of us have projected ourselves into the future and wondered how well we would adapt.
Whatever the world will look like in 20 years, we must be physically, mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually prepared for it. We will be if we just: BE LIKE WATER.
Thank you for reading.