Predicting the Future

The Bored Panda website has catalogued a number of incorrect predictions and comments made in the New York Times over the years. Several made me smile:

“It remains to be proved how fast the brain is capable of traveling. If it cannot acquire an eight-mile per hour speed, then an auto running at the rate of 80 miles per hour is running without the guidance of the brain, and the many disastrous results are not to be marvelled at.” On driving at 80mph, 1904.

"Using Twitter for literate communication is about as likely as firing up a CB radio and hearing some guy recite ‘The Iliad.’ … Whether the service can be made into a sustainable business, [is] quite unknown. I’m skeptical." On Twitter, 2007.

"Hence, if it requires, say, a thousand years to fit for easy flight a bird which started with rudimentary wings, or ten thousand for one with started with no wings at all and had to sprout them ab initio, it might be assumed that the flying machine which will really fly might be evolved by the combined and continuous efforts of mathematicians and mechanicians in from one million to ten million years — provided, of course, we can meanwhile eliminate such little drawbacks and embarrassments as the existing relation between weight and strength in inorganic materials." On space flight, 1903.

"The problem with television is that the people must sit and keep their eyes glued on a screen; the average American family hasn’t time for it." On TV, 1939.

"On the whole, people don’t want to lug a computer with them to the beach or on a train to while away hours they would rather spend reading the sports or business section of the newspaper… the real future of the laptop computer will remain in the specialized niche markets. Because no matter how inexpensive the machines become, and no matter how sophisticated their software, I still can’t imagine the average user taking one along when going fishing." On laptops, 1989.

"It is to be regretted that this unquestionably talented artist… should now make his debut with a series of childish, not to say imbecile, scribbles that are no interest either as independent works of art or as steps toward achieving the complete work. They have neither material beauty nor that ‘spiritual significance’… nor merit of any other sort" On Picasso’s Cubism, 1911

"A rocket will never be able to leave the Earth’s atmosphere." On rockets, 1936.

We have enough of our God-given curiosoity and discovery to expand the bounds of current technology. Yet consider all the things we not capable of doing: living in harmony, eradicating hunger, eliminating violent crime, knowing our Creator. Our thirst for knowledge is hamstrung by an ignorance of spiritual truth to which we are naturally blind. Our sinful natures hijack our creativity, applying it to cybercrime and ever-new methods of slaughter.

Here’s a prediction of the future which you’re unlikely to find in the New York Times, but it is guaranteed to occur:

Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Matthew 26:64.

 

Image by Luisella Planeta Leoni from Pixabay