PSA: The Future Is at the Door

"The future is not something we enter. The future is something we create."- Leonard I. Sweet

It started on November 22nd, 1989. Hollywood had just dropped a sequel to a beloved sci-fi classic: Back to the Future Part 2 in which Marty McFly and Doc Brown travel to the distant year of 2015.

(Ok the future started way earlier than that)

When October 21st, 2015, came around everyone online started sharing the disappointing news.

"It's 2015 and we don't have flying cars yet".

Watching Back to the Future was such a staple of a movie because it marked a point in history to bring Robert Zemeckis future to life.

What we got instead was insane.

Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Twitter, Sony, Nintendo, Amazon the list goes on.

All these technological companies, gaming companies and retail chains took many versions of "the future" and said "Challenge Accepted".

Now we have AI, VR, Cyber cars, Bitcoin and computers that know us better than we know ourselves.

This was meant to be a fun poke at Boomers. But really, this affects all of us. Every generation.

2025 truly starts the next chapter in Human technological development. And it was just last year. Now, we still don't have flying cars, but as of November 12th, 2025, Pennies are no longer being manufactured. As a result, companies are now getting rid of Pennies even though they are still legal tender. But this has created a domino effect that is affecting everyone.

Retailers are rounding up to the nearest Nickel or Dime. Not a huge deal at face value but a sign of things to come. A Cashless Society. First it was Pennies. Next it will be all change (Gen Alpha's dream come true).

The Public Service Announcement is for everyone who appreciates using cash and change instead of digital currency. It's an unprecedented time we are living in because we've truly never been here before.

So how do proceed? I can hear the religious zealots already saying "We shouldn't! This will lead us to the Mark of the Beast!". But how did we get here? If we look at the Silent generation to the Baby Boomers, we can see a big shift in technological development. And they took it in stride. Whenever technology was introduced, people took a hard look at it, studied it, then determined if it was good or harmful for society. Everything has risks. Not all tech stands the test of time. Some things become obsolete. But we should never shy away from progress.

One can argue that the future is already here, but we still don't have flying cars. We do have devices that can control our internet, temperature and various other devices, but they can't operate without human function. The future is bult by a program(s) that we create. Our intelligence controls the direction we go into the future. We still get to determine what future we open our doors up too.

I often think of this quote from Disney's Meet the Robinsons ""If I go back now, then this will be my future." "Well, that depends on you. Nothing is set in stone; you have to make the right choices and keep moving forward.""- Young Lewis and Future Cornilius

Many are excited by the future and the new steps in technological development. Just don't rely on convenience to the point where you give up your future.