When a Childhood Prophecy Starts to Feel Real

 

Sniped from a diary page

I remember when we were growing up, there was a pseudo-scientific prediction about the future of the human species. I never figured out the original source — it might have been part imagination, part street folklore, part schoolyard “research.”

It was during the time we were being introduced to evolution, natural selection, adaptation — so these predictions slipped easily and convincingly into our young minds.

The prophecy was that someday human bodies would turn spherical from inactivity, while our heads would grow bigger because the brain would be working harder than ever.

The idea was simple: as technology advanced, humans wouldn’t need to work. Machines would do everything. Physical effort would vanish, and as a result, the limbs would slowly lose their purpose and shape. The new human would look like two spheres.

Strangely, it all sounded perfectly logical back then.

Fast forward to November 2025 — Elon Musk, at the US–Saudi Business Forum, predicted that in just 10–20 years, work might become optional. A hobby, he said. Something you’d do the way you grow tomatoes on your balcony — because you want to, not because you have to.

So yes, a part of that childhood prophecy seems to be inching toward reality. “Optional work” doesn’t sound like fiction anymore.

But unfortunately, the other half of the prophecy seems to be drifting in the opposite direction. Instead of thinking more, we’re slowly outsourcing thinking.

We have been drifting away from simple, brain-engaging activities as basic as writing letters. Half the fun was lost when emails replaced handwritten letters, and now my Gmail wants me to reply with emojis. Not sentences. Not thoughts. Not even words.

Just… symbols.

And when I insist on writing a few words, it tries to finish them too — almost nudging: “Leave it to me.”

Meanwhile, AI is drafting reports, taking minutes, generating action items, telling stories, solving math problems, translating languages — almost thinking on our behalf.

It’s strange. We once imagined a future where our brains expanded and became more powerful. Instead, our expressions are shrinking — and so is the brain’s engagement.

So when Gmail offers me an emoji as a reply, I pause.
Not because I dislike emojis, but because I wonder what we slowly lose when we stop forming thoughts… and slip toward symbol-based communication, almost like walking backwards into a pre-language era.

If work becomes optional someday, that’s fine.
But thinking — that should remain non-negotiable.

---

Pleasures, Consequences, and Finding the Middle Ground

 

Life is a paradox, isn’t it? On one hand, it’s filled with pleasures and joys, and on the other, we’re reminded of the price we pay for indulging in them. This world, in all its splendor, has a streak of cruelty. Everything we love and enjoy somehow turns out to be injurious to our health and existence.

The small pleasures we adore — fast food, a glass of wine, binge-watching a series late into the night — start as comfort and end as consequences. And when these habits begin to show their effects, the people closest to us step in with all their good intentions: stop this, stop that… do this, don’t do that. But more often than not, these reminders turn the better halves into bitter halves.

When people are pushed emotionally into decisions, the result is almost predictable — they break their resolutions faster than they make them, creating more problems than solutions. My point of view has always been simple: do things in moderation. A balanced approach to work, exercise, eating healthy or eating junk, consuming alcohol or abstaining — this balance not only supports well-being but also takes relationships to the next level.

As Oscar Wilde famously quipped, “Everything in moderation, including moderation.” Occasional indulgence is part of living fully. Life is too short for perpetual restraint.

A balanced life — not extreme discipline, not unchecked indulgence — is where joy actually lives. Enjoy a piece of cake, but not the whole thing. Savor a drink, but don’t overdo it. Allow yourself the series, but not at the cost of sleep.

So the next time you face a dilemma, remember that balance is key. And if you stray from the path now and then, that’s simply part of living life to the fullest.

---

🔗 Read Reflect Rejoice