Main Street Magazine Spring '23

The
Future
By Ty
Hetrick
of
As we ponder the future, we conjure up images of flying cars, robots, and
even food in pill form. But where will our collective imagination take us? Will
it be a utopia like Meet the Robinsons, or will it resemble the apocalyptic
world of The Matrix? One thing is certain: computer science has advanced
at an unprecedented pace over the past few decades. From the creation
of the computer and the smartphone to the recent emergence of artificial
intelligence (AI), our generation has been swept up in this rapidly evolving
world of ones and zeros. Human curiosity will never be sated. Our insatiable
demand for ease, access to information, and of course, novelty, has created
a market for technology that shows no signs of slowing down. Have we ever
stopped to ask ourselves if these technologies are truly necessary, or if they
should even exist in the first place? With AI, we can generate entire essays
and detailed art dedicated to any topic we choose. We can obtain answers to
virtually any question, from the mysteries of quantum physics to the simplest
of tasks like using an Easy Bake oven. It seems that we have achieved the
world we always wanted — one where we can access answers to any question
with just the click of a button. But have we sacrificed something in the
process? Have we lost the satisfaction of working hard to find the answers,
the joy of discovery, and the thrill of learning from our mistakes? These are
important questions we should be asking ourselves as we move forward into
an increasingly digital world. Maybe AI can answer some of them for us.
creation
I believe that the invention of the internet and smartphones was essential for
our evolution. They have streamlined communication and made information
readily accessible at our fingertips. However, while this technology has given
us a sense of freedom in our lives and made knowledge virtually unlimited, we
have also become enslaved by it. We are consumed by endless entertainment
tailored to us by an algorithm that knows us better than we know ourselves.
We rely on the bundle of collective knowledge that we have instant access
to, but we must not allow it to completely replace the natural processes in
our brains. At what point do we stop being the masters of technology and
become its servants? I urge everyone to take a moment to reflect. How much
time do we spend each day looking at our phones? How much time is spent
scrolling endlessly on platforms that provide customized entertainment? How
much time is wasted on consumption rather than creation? It is important to
maintain a balance between using technology as a tool and not allowing it to
control our lives.
In modern times, it seems as though our ability to be creative has waned, and
we struggle to come up with truly original and unique ideas. We have more
capacity than ever to harness our creativity with limitless information at our
fingertips. At the same time, however, we tend to form communities where
we all share the same ideas and personalities, and we only interact with
people who agree with us. By avoiding challenges and struggles, we limit our
potential to grow, to know ourselves and what we are truly capable of. To truly
be ourselves, we must get to know who we are, the beautiful and the ugly.
We must understand what makes up the true colors of our energy, light and
dark, and use it as the paint on the canvas of the universe. We can make art
without comparing it to others or thinking it is supposed to be a certain way
when in reality, art is a reflection of ourselves, of our physical, mental, and
spiritual capabilities.
True art is human.
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We can accept it for all its beautiful flaws because it is a part of us. When
creative energy is mixed with the muddled truths of others, our colors turn
muddy and lose their vibrancy. However, if we come together and collaborate