13.1 WHAT HAS CHANGED? WHAT IS CHANGING?

We've come a long way as a species, at least technologically. We can warm ourselves or cool ourselves at will. We can cross states, countries, continents, and oceans on land, on or beneath the seas, or through the skies. We can have light at night. We can talk to our friends from anywhere on the planet, anytime we wish. We can access more information than exists in any library faster than at any time in history, from anywhere. We can live into our 80's, hike or ski into our 70's, and routinely cure diseases that once kept most people from living into their 40's. Some everyday people have even traveled into space and returned safely, and many more seem so anxious to go that a multi-billionaire from England is taking reservations for a trip on a reusable spacecraft he's bank-rolling with a private company.

Technology has advanced tremendously, so what we have learned in the last century exceeded all that we had learned since we first walked erect as a species. And, the rate of continued technological advancement is almost startling. It makes one wonder what could possibly change. Where could we possibly go from here?

Without a crystal ball, of course, no one knows. But, this is certain: we are a curious and capable species that seems predestined to go further, climb higher, dive deeper, move faster, and live longer and better. Can it be? Can we do it all?

It seems...