What will the future hold? (weapons, independence, millionaires, solution)

[my54ford]

Originally Posted by crystalblue

whatcha going to do though if your enemy brings smallpox?

Everyone I know has been vaccinated for that.......includeing my kids. The bubonic plague or Dr. Trips or some new wierd crap is another story....

[my54ford]

Frankly I think things have gotten better since WW2. (for all races) not to many share croppers anymore etc. I talk to a number of old people and invariable they say that we have it much better now then back then. Really up to the late 40's life was for the most hard physical work day in day out. My grandpa (92) absolutely hates horses. "If you hard to farm with the damn things you'd hate them too". I relay don't think most people in the US would make it very well if they had to work like most of our parents and grandparents did. Even in my lifetime things have gotten 100% better ,for instance when we were kids we would earn money by walking row upon row of soybeans and pull the weeds. hard backbreaking job. Now beans come roundup ready and don't need hand weeding besides I don't think theres a high school kid today would do that without beating them first..

[shadowwalker]

With how the last election turned out. I don't like to think about what this once great country will be like four years from now. I do hope the republicans will learn what conservative means again. And in two years enough people have a gut full of the "change" that the repubs can get back the house and senate to stand off the president and his minions.

[SCGranny]

Originally Posted by my54ford

Everyone I know has been vaccinated for that.......includeing my kids. The bubonic plague or Dr. Trips or some new wierd crap is another story....

I hate to tell you this but in 1979 the WHO declared smallpox eradicated, and the regular (and painful owOW OOOWWW!!!) smallpox vaccine was no longer regularly administered as part of America's system of illness prevention. BTW, WHO was wrong...

Unless you are a recent legal immigrant, have traveled overseas or been in the military, it is highly unlikely that if you were not vaccinated before 1979, you are vaccinated. That includes your kids. If you WERE vaccinated before 1979, it is believed that boosters are necessary at this point. Not to mention the fact that a lot of the diseases - like "Dr Trips" - supposed to have been eliminated are still sitting in little vials in many countries and can be accessed by researchers... and maybe a few others... A lab in Russia was broken into about 10 years ago and a lot of samples were stolen; as far as I know they were never located. Shoot, Leslie Stahl did a report on it for 60 Minutes!

Trust no one... not even that scar on your L shoulder...

[nightbird47]

Originally Posted by arctichomesteader

Balkanization. Possibly civil war, but the feds will become universally hated in most of the country soon. States and groups of states will become independent (large and resource-rich states like Alaska on their own, smaller states like VT, NH etc. may form loose unions. Some areas that are already crime-ridden cesspools will likely fall into anarchy. The real wildcard is how other countries react: Russia and China particularly. Some Russians are already saying they should take back Alaska for instance...that is the true danger.

Every see the tv series Jericho. If anyone hasn't its on youtube now (though buying the DVD would be better to those of us who still want it back).

Its about the break up of the country due to a bunce of cities being nuked into anarchy. Argue about the reality of the plot or the love stories, but it fundamentally raised the same point. There was lots and lots of discussion of what would happen should this come to be, how people would react, how bad or good their future would be, how it would test everyone and some wouldn't be around on the aniversary.

I do see if we were to be broken, that there would be balkanization. Areas with the common interests would join. Before that I can see little order and the formation of city states as those who could circle the wagons saved themselves. Being on your own would be a bad thing. The feds would be the enemy to everyone once they accepted their own independence.

As to other nations, maybe if there was no civil war. But if there was, who wants to get mired in someone elses? Our current adventures should be a good example. China's chief market would dissapear. Would they be too preoccupied with the economy and finding places to keep it going? And what advantage would they have.

I think most of the world would leave us to figure it out ourselves. Alaska and Hawaii would probably be gone but they are not in the continental US. This would be a very hard place to take with troops. Even little balkan enclaves would fight together if someone else came. They would see an example of resistance to the remnants of the federal government.

We would become third world and they'd be about as interested in control as we are of that kind of place.

[annika08]

Rathagos, I want to say that I think you are instilling some great values in your children. I do not see many parents these days doing this, so many kids are so spoiled and have everything handed to them and done for them; as an example there are a vast number of students on campus I go to school with who have never even had a summer job-people who are in their early and mid 20's! What will they be like when they graduate and enter they workforce of the real world? Geez,I remember a girl in one of my classes last semester saying she wanted to kill herself because she was "so stressed out" because she had two finals in one week. Puh-leeze...

I work with a guy who's 24-his mom fills his gas tank for him and washes his laundry. He told me he has never washed a dish in his life because his parents do everything for him. WTF? I hate coming in on 3rd shft and his dirty dishes are sitting in the sink. I got tired of it so I told him I'm not his mother and he better wash his own s*** just like the rest of us and he just gave me a blank look. He is absolutely the laziest person on the job and his work is the sloppiest.

I think it's important you have your children participate in programs like Meals on Wheels as well. I remember when I was in high school and we volunteered in a Soup Kitchen. It was an experience I'll never forget, and it opened my eyes to how bad some people have it-and how good I do. I believe it should be required for all school-age children to do such volunteer work-maybe kids wouldn't be such brats?

You sound to me like a good parent.

What does the future hold? I say a mixture of 'Threads' and 'Soylent Green'.

(Boy, is that scary...)

[subsound]

The future is always bleak!

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Slashdot | Is the Yellowstone Supervolcano About To Blow?

[manquaman]

Originally Posted by Rathagos

Does anyone else agree with any of these or have other thoughts about what it might hold? What do we tell our children they are going to inherit? How do we prepare them for the future, and what kind of future do you think we will be leaving them over the next 20 to 30 years? How do I leave my kids a better place than I got? Or is it even possible in today's world?

I used to live in San Francisco and people would always ask, "Aren't you worried about earthquakes? Scientists are saying that the 'Big One' is overdue."

If you have ever been to San Francisco you may understand when I say that if I were ever to go before my time I could not think of a better place to depart from. It is the same for your children. You should not even concern yourself with talking to them about the future; it's like waiting in anticipation for your birthday, or Christmas - you would be wishing your life away and not living in the moment.

It sounds like you are a conscientious parent and are doing what you can to provide the best tools possible. That should be your focus. Help your children to develop a good self-esteem; it will help them to stand up for themselves in times of conflict. Let them know that their opinion counts when they use their intellect to make good decisions. People will respond to a thoughtful, self-confident person. Natural leaders will be needed under any circumstances.

Enable them to think critically and reason abstractly. I have told my son on numerous occasions that he will inevitably hear a classmate raise their hand and say, "Why do we need to learn Albegra? I am never going to use that in my real life." I tell him that may be true, but that his brain is like a muscle - using it often will make it stronger. Albebra is an exercise that teaches critical thinking, and an opportunity to learn other things like self-discipline to learn a difficult subject, and perserverence for sticking with something that at first may be tough or tedious. Then there are the rewards like a sense of accomplishment and the confidence that is built by succeeding and possibly excelling at something.

I learned three things in college; one of them was the ability to learn how to learn. I tell my son that no matter who anyone is on this earth, they will be confronted with problems. Someone who can use their brain in a multitude of ways can think of many more than one way to conquer a problem. Those that can think of only one solution often suffer from very low self-esteem, a sense of helplessness (litterbugs!), and depression. Who needs that in their life, especially in a world that only seems to get more complicated, not simpler?

Finally, teach them that their bodies respond in kind to how they are treated. I told my son at a very early age that his body was like an engine. Putting bad gasoline in it makes it run poorly. Putting good fuel into the engine and taking care of all the small parts and fluids keeps the engine running for a long time. I support this concept with ideas like telling him that I don't mind buying expensive toys and very advanced things for him because he knows the importance of taking care of them. After all, one often gets what they pay for.

I have even used this analogy with subordinates in a team environment, saying that a team is like an engine because no matter how small the component is in an engine, it will not run for long, or well, if something doesn't fit right, or is not taken care of properly. Children, and people, respond to such things. My son is a very good eater, and has been from a very young age.

No one will ever know when a crisis will come, or to what degree that crisis will become manifest. A whole person is what the world needs in any event. Helping your children to become so will prepare them for any eventuality. I would recommend staying away from negativity, doomsday scenarios, and fear. Let them, encourage them to enjoy life. Many good things will come to them as a result.

I just deposited my two coppers.

[dcashley]

In the future these will continue largely the same as now:
1. The sun will come up in the East.
2. Young men and young women will cavort.
3. Babies will be born.
4. Most people will continue caring for their families.
5. Science and knowledge will advance.
6. Tolerance for others will continue to increase.
7. There will continue to be rich people, and extremely poor people.
8. Older people will continue to say, "The nation is being destroyed by the young."
9.. Young people will continue to say, "The nation needs to be improved by the young."
10. Wars will break out periodically.

[jetgraphics]

There's a solution, but you may not like it.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/7182543-post1.html