Robert Tamayo | September 13, 2022

I Want to Like the Future Again

5 years ago, I was thrilled about the future. In my early programming days, I was excited about what new technologies would come out from the great minds of Silicon Valley. I couldn't be more enthused about every new programming language, framework, or update that came out - I sincerely believed that each step was incrementally bringing us closer to the incredible Science Fiction future of my imagination.

5 days ago, I was thinking about how much the future sucks.

I don't know what happened, but the vision being sold as the future today is not that great at all. Forced vaccine mandates = no bodily freedom. Faked pharmaceutical trials = science is dead. Haven't been back to the moon = space dreams are fading away. Rolling blackouts in California = alternative energy not sufficient.

Everything is an app now. Even people.

I see more societal failure and division on the horizon, and no sci-fi tech.

But here's the thing: I have the power to change that.

If the future is going to come to us - the future I dreamt of just 5 years ago - then people like me have to do something about it.

But despite knowing that this probably means taking my technology skill development more seriously, I think there is a more crucial step to be taken toward achieving this goal:

I must learn to like the future again.

I must dismiss any negative ideas about the future and embrace the bright outlook I once had. All problems can be solved; something that seems to be standing in the way of actual progress can be reasoned with and dealt with.

I've still maintained my optimistic outlook and perspective on programming: I truly believe that everything can be built and every problem solved. Now it's time for me to aim that optimism at something larger: the future.

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