John Carter’s short story struck me as so good that I read it aloud:
A snippet (looking back at 2023, emphasis mine):
If you’d asked me back then what my son would be doing with his life, I’d have said defending the ranch and living off the land if he’s lucky, and getting rounded up, chipped, and stuffed into a hive pod if he wasn’t.
We were all pessimists back then, in the very early days of the Soul War, when we didn’t even realize it was a war, when the species was just starting to notice the vampire squid that had been wrapped around its face since the Bronze Age. Most of us didn’t even realize it had been there that long until much later in the process; even those of us who’d started paying attention figured it was fifty years old, a century tops. In those days the future didn’t seem to contain anything but solar panels, algorithmic control grids, and cricket powder, with the big divide being between those broken enough to look forward to it and everyone else.
I tell myself that young people (especially healthy young men) will be inspired by this vision, and help us make it happen.
This story is just one of six visions of the 2043 that these heroes published:
Winston Smith (who also wrote a follow-up combining the various entries).
If you find a way to arrange for a young man (or even a young woman) to hear this recording, I’d love to know what they thought.
I know I’m pleased to think it’s now available for the young people in my life.
The video is also available off of YouTube, for those of you who value your privacy.
We know. That is the real magic. We have the antenna. We recognize.