Based on the events that have occurred in the past couple of decades, the prospects of what is yet to come are both frightening and hopeful at the same time. For example, those of us who reside in the United States have witnessed a deterioration of personal liberties as our government inches its way toward a Socialist state. From the ostracizing of the 20% of our population who smoke to a government-run automotive industry that is now close at hand, such a movement can plainly be seen.

Statutes that violate one’s privacy are becoming more commonplace. In addition to mandatory seat belt laws, an increasing number of locales are taking these dictates a step further by allowing police officers the authority to simply pull motorists over to check for compliance. Cameras mounted beneath overpasses are being installed to monitor one’s speed. Likewise, photos and/or videotapes are used in intersections as a means to nab anyone who commits the slightest traffic violation. Workplaces monitor the actions of their employees with cameras and by checking computers. We can neither build a structure to our liking nor light a bonfire without the proper permits. Government - at every level - has now taken the first initiatives in deciding what we can and cannot eat. If these trends continue, where will we be by 2067? Will we have to obtain permission to use a toilet or to have sex? Will we be told just when we can sleep or what movies and television shows we can watch? Indeed, the most frightening thing of all is that Karl Marx once stated that all governments will inevitably embrace Socialism.

At this writing, 2067 is just 57 years and a few months away. It is estimated that the world’s population could explode to some 15 billion inhabitants by that time. In order to accommodate this many people, remote deserts and untapped frontiers of places such as Alaska and other arctic regions today will have to be settled. Don’t hold your breath for lunar or Martian colonies anytime soon, either. When compared to the 1960’s and 1970’s, our space program has slowed to a crawl. Unless we renew our focus on the importance of space exploration, it is unlikely that we will make much progress in that area for centuries.

As for food, livestock for consumption will either have to be cloned or we’ll have to learn how to eat other meats on a much larger scale. Venison stew, anyone? More vegetables will have to be grown; and at more than twice their present rate. Then again, natural law states that our planet can hold only so many living beings. If the scales are tipped too far, something has to give: Pestilence, starvation, wars; those sorts of things. Needless to say, it’s not a pretty picture.

The institution of traditional marriage will drop sharply as divorce rates continue to climb and humanity’s sense of morals shifts to a more relaxed standard. Religion will decline as more people embrace science and become aware that this outdated practice can be attributed to nearly every war in our planet’s history at the cost billions of lives.

On the plus side, technology has advanced further in the past 100 years than at any other time in our history, and there is no reason to believe that this won’t continue. For some of us, the jury is still out as to whether global warming is genuine or alarmist hype. Nevertheless, concerted efforts are being made to clean up the atmosphere. We can to assume that the days of gasoline-powered engines are numbered. Greener fuels such as natural gas, clean diesel, solar and wind energy, electricity, or hydrogen will likely power the 2067 car models. In addition, high-speed monorails will help to connect cities. Other forms of public transit will also be powered by more earth-friendly fuels.

Medical science may progress to the point where debilitating and life-threatening afflictions can be halted with stem-cells. Diseases such as advanced cancer or full-blown AIDS may become as manageable as hay fever or athlete’s foot is today. It is quite possible that by 2067, we will be much closer to understanding what happens to us when we die as patients will be able to be revived hours after clinical death.

It is said that there are multiple existences and that each scenario is dependent on what actions take place. Moreover, every event has to occur in concert with one another. Ideally, the trend of our government’s transition to a police state will be reversed before it becomes too late while the aforementioned technological advances push forward.

In the end; however, the fate of our society rests with our children, our grandchildren, and for all descendants to follow.