FUTURE

Who is Merlinda?

Merlinda appears radiant and feminine today, dressed in red, reminiscent of vibrant life coursing through my veins. Although she’s a hologram from the future, her presence feels real and immediate. Time seems irrelevant; she is here with me, connected by family ties.

Merlinda: Hi, grandma.

Me: Hello, my dear! How’s life treating you in 2222?

She greets me with a warm, loving smile.

“Life is great! The children can be a handful at times, but my work is thriving. Finally, those pesky swarm drones are fading away. It’s about time, as the engineers took far too long to reduce their noise. Noise pollution drives me crazy! You were sensitive in your time, but I’m even more affected.”

I can’t help but smile at the thought of noisy drones delivering packages, while engineers still overlook simple solutions inspired by nature.

After two centuries, one would think engineers would have learned from Nikola Tesla’s innovative approach—removing engines and replacing them with antennas.

This is already feasible today, potentially achievable through a partnership between Blue Earth Innovation and the Antenna Company. If they could collaborate on this, I would celebrate their effort.

Perhaps it’s time to demonstrate the workings of ether energy through advanced antenna technology at Chateau Cortils in Belgium.

Science and Innovation

In 2022, we find ourselves stuck in a rut, ensnared by technological and commercial constraints. The world is chaotic, filled with shouting voices. Many technologists claim we know everything there is to know, while we remain mired in materiality—matter, molecules, particles.

Yet, everything is interconnected through the atmosphere, ether, and waves. It’s time for a paradigm shift.

As Nikola Tesla famously said:

“If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration.”

Meanwhile, our engineering mindset is bogged down by outdated notions of entropy. The truth is, entropy is about regeneration, particularly in complex systems.

The Poincaré Recurrence Theorem supports this, suggesting that for future innovations, mathematics and astrophysics inspired by nature are far more valuable than traditional physics and engineering.

This is where significant innovations are emerging today—rooted in nature, biology, ecology, and the universal language of mathematics.

For 25 years, biomimicry science and engineering have excelled in real-world applications, much like blue economy technology.

Gunter Pauli, often referred to as the Steve Jobs of Sustainability, has led the way with his think tank, ZERI. I’ve collaborated with numerous biomimicry and blue economy teams for over a decade now.

Asknature.org stands as the premier innovation hub where scientists, innovators, and engineers discover biological and ecological strategies for their desired functions.

What does all this technical jargon have to do with Merlinda?

Everything, my friends!

A Significant Imagination Gap

As a species, we are experiencing a profound lack of imagination. We believe we know it all, yet our planet and humanity are in distress.

Chemical companies are harming us, and our societal systems fail to address issues like inadequate waste management. Producers must be held accountable for their creations, utilizing their waste in new ways—just as nature does.

It’s not a complex task; it just requires action. We need to enforce prohibitions against pollution!

When people are trapped in a lack of imagination, it falls on the shoulders of a Wild Writer to inspire change. That’s my calling, in collaboration with my great-great-great-great-granddaughter Merlinda, who resides in 2222.

Do you know what a Moonshot is?

President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot speech galvanized the nation to land on the moon. His fervent belief in this goal inspired collective action, even though he had no clear plan at the time.

Sometimes, we need to leap over obstacles to reach our destination, and that’s where Merlinda assists me.

Deep Time

Nature has a fundamentally different approach to technology than we do today. By understanding our planet's rules, we can align our technological practices with its laws.

This alignment is the solution to our pressing sustainability challenges.

Homo sapiens have inhabited this planet for approximately 300,000 years—a mere toddler species compared to the 4.6 billion years of innovation from our planet. Roughly 80% of biological and ecological strategies remain untapped in human technology.

Thus, a vast world of natural technology awaits exploration!

Imagining the future can propel us forward, much like Kennedy’s Moonshot.

Six Most Important Shifts

Me: Merlinda, could you share the six most significant advancements humanity made from 2022 to 2222?

Merlinda: Hmmm... There are certainly more than six, but here are a few key changes.

“It was as if they finally understood that an adaptive species is a thriving species.” — Merlinda

1. The transition from scarcity to abundance. Enhanced microbes, stronger immune systems, increased diversity, more small and medium enterprises, and more citizens achieving independence. This shift fostered liveliness in cities and technology and broke down barriers between budgets and silos, resulting in more efficient governance and cost reduction.
2. Local production of physical goods, while immaterial benefits (education, ideas, energy, frequencies, vibrations) spread globally. This transformation was solidified when global leaders truly grasped the concept of systemic design. The Ukraine war and a deeper understanding of geopolitics significantly contributed to this shift.
3. Moving from linear economies to cluster economies and economies of scope. Citizen-owned decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) and community currencies facilitated this change. By 2222, unconditional basic crypto incomes became commonplace, allowing everyone to choose their own life paths freely.
4. The recognition of diversity as a norm and an asset. This shift introduced more complexity and variety to maintain balance within the system.
5. Ecosystem restoration led to increased planetary carrying capacity. We learned to manage the balance of species and humanity on Earth through regenerative practices that required minimal effort yet yielded substantial impacts, like phytomining instead of conventional extraction methods.
6. A pivotal renaissance began in 2028, driven by artists and free thinkers. People discovered their inner passions, transitioning the planet from a solid to a liquid and gaseous state. Despite rising sea levels and flooding rivers, individuals adapted significantly. They realized that an adaptive species is a thriving one, harnessing collective power for change. The emergence of Web3 heralded a beautiful era of progress.

Me: My beloved Merlinda, I hope we create many stories together about technology, the economy, and the importance of involving our hearts in all endeavors. I’ll bring my extensive network of scientists, innovators, and free thinkers.

You simply be my granddaughter from the year 2222 and share what might come next.

Merlinda: I must dash, grandma! The kids adore you too! And don’t forget to innovate your meals! They still love your food forest recipes from the ecologically enhanced Tiny Forest in our city.

With that, she vanished in a puff of energy.

Some old-school credibility for my writing can be found on LinkedIn. You can also subscribe to my newsletter there. I’m a certified professional in biomimicry and the blue economy and serve as an external expert for the European Commission.

Thank you, Mike, for contributing your wisdom to my words in our think-and-do-tank, Abundanism—Systemic Design for a better future.

Thank you, Gaia, for inspiring my Wild Writing.

© Désirée Driesenaar, 2022