Some uncannily accurate predictions were made 24 years ago on Wired
When I was young I was massively into the predictions of Nostradamus. Sadly most of them were shite. I was about 11 or 12 and also loved things like the mysteries of the crystal skulls, yetis, abominable snowmen, ghosts, the occult, and so on. I think it is a phase young atheists go through when searching for meaning in life. I am almost 50 now, and have realised that the secret to live is to enjoy the moment, have a good time, appreciate loved ones, let loose occasionally, and so on. See Monty Python’s Meaning of Life for a full list. (That was a link.)
Well, Nostradamus may have been a load of balls (seriously, read his original stuff) but there were a couple of futurists called Pete Leyden and Peter Schwartz, who wrote some predictions in the July 1997 issue of WIRED magazine that have been proved mostly correct. Obviously, predicting 24 years in advance is a hell of a lot easier than several hundred, so I will stop giving Nostradamus a hard time. Mind you the two Pete’s predictions were simply extrapolations of current trends rather than a prophetic dream.
Ok, here is what they thought would happen. (I got this from here.)
– Tensions between China and the US escalate into a new Cold War — bordering on a hot one.
– New technologies turn out to be a bust. They simply don’t bring the expected productivity increases or the big economic boosts,
– Russia devolves into a kleptocracy run by a mafia or retreats into quasi-communist nationalism that threatens Europe.
– Europe’s integration process grinds to a halt. Eastern and Western Europe can’t finesse a reunification, and even the European Unification process breaks down.
– Major ecological crisis causes a global climate change that, among other things, disrupts the food supply – causing big price increases everywhere and sporadic famines.
– Major rise in crime and terrorism forces the world to pull back in fear. People who constantly feel they could be blown up or ripped off are not in the mood to reach out and open up.
– The cumulative escalation in pollution causes a dramatic increase in cancer, which overwhelms the ill-prepared health system.
– Energy prices go through the roof. Convulsions in the Middle East disrupt the oil supply, and alternative energy sources fail to materialize.
– An uncontrollable plague – a modern-day influenza epidemic or its equivalent takes off like wildfire, killing upward of 200 million people.
– A social and cultural backlash stops progress dead in its tracks, human beings need to choose to move forward. They just may not…
Pretty good right? Happily the plague has not killed anywhere near the amount they thought, but the predictions are generally pretty accurate – and now we have the Omicron thing, so who knows? As a science fiction writer, I try and keep an eye on futuristic predictions as they are an awesome source of ideas.
Who knows what the future holds? The important thing is to enjoy yourself. May you not live in interesting times.
