Gone Are The Days

01-09-2050

As I sit in my electric armchair, I crave for fresh air. The air purifier in our retirement home needs to function 24X7 in order to keep us alive. The trees have been cut down and lakes have dried up. The water that we consume is manufactured in the laboratories. The washing and bathing solution has replaced the water that we need for various household chores. Electricity is supplied through a tiny rechargeable device mounted on the wall in every home.

I wish I could write this with a pen on a piece of paper. However, paper manufacturers no longer exist. In fact, paper currency is not in use since 2025. I am blurting out words and they appear on my device screen. I feel so restless. I remember, during my childhood, we wrote letters on paper, posted them and they required a week to be delivered. When I was a teenager, we got a dial-up connection at home and the the 2MP camera mobile phone was an invention in its true sense.

Today, we have numerous ways to stay in touch with each other, but people are busy grabbing more out of life. My children have not talked to me since last two years. Grown-ups no longer live with their parents now. That is the reason why old age shelters and retirement homes are mushrooming all over the country.

Artificial intelligence and automation have robbed 50% of the jobs in every sector. Hence, crime rate is at an all-time high. The flying car is no longer a thing of the rich and elite. Even the commoners are purchasing it. I want to ride a bicycle as I did during my school days. My father taught me to ride a bicycle. Children these days, learn everything using virtual reality. There is no human touch and no student-teacher bond. The brick and mortar model of learning is completely outdated.

Once upon a time, I had long hair touching my waist. Today, none of us has natural hair on our scalp. Chemical water is leading to baldness and wrinkles from the age of ten. Hair transplant and Botox have become a part of everyday life. Medical science has successfully discovered a treatment for HIV and cancer. Nevertheless, the death rate is increasing every year. Most of the deaths are due to depression and anxiety. Pollution and wars are dragging the numbers further down. Suicides have become more common.

I miss the traditional wedding ceremonies, pomp, and grandeur. Now, the government has banned marriages between the opposite sexes; only same-sex marriages are allowed. This measure is taken to curb population growth. Any opposite sex marriage leads to either imprisonment or penalty. People want to know what marrying someone from the opposite sex feels like and women wish to experience the thrill of giving birth.

Gone are the days when friends and family laughed and cried together. This generation does not believe in sharing joys and sorrows. Displaying emotions is old fashioned and it affects logic and analytical skills. Antidepressants are costlier than food and water due to their huge demand in the market. These youngsters don't shed tears.

There is no free space left for graveyards and cremation grounds. Dead bodies are thrown in a pit where they organically decompose. The concept of religion has become ancient. Religious shrines and holy places have been transformed into heritage sites. I remember, my grandmother would recite verses from the holy book. We would sit around her listening to her melodious voice. It was soothing. Religious books exist in the digital form now.

My heart yearns for old times. The time when fresh air was free, trees had flowers and gadgets were only a necessity. I want to go back to the days when human were different from machines and love had no expiry date.