I’ve been thinking about the future.

Or more specifically, the future we were promised when I was growing up.

Remember that future?

Flying cars. Robot housekeepers. Jetpacks. Vacations on the Moon. Computers that would do all our work while we enjoyed endless leisure time.

It sounded wonderful.

Well, here we are in 2026.

I carry a computer in my pocket that’s more powerful than machines that once filled entire rooms. I can video chat with someone halfway around the world. My truck can tell me when something’s wrong, although sometimes I’d prefer it keep its opinions to itself.

And yet, I’m still doing laundry.

I’m beginning to think somebody oversold this whole future thing.

Welcome to Tomorrow. Population: Us.

Back in the 1950s and 1960s, predicting the future was practically an industry.

World’s Fairs, magazines, television programs, and major corporations showed us what tomorrow might look like.

Everything involved sleek buildings, shiny appliances, flying vehicles, and people wearing strangely coordinated clothing.

Apparently, the future required everyone to dress alike.

At the 1939 New York World’s Fair, General Motors introduced Futurama, a massive model showing what future highways and cities might look like.

At the 1964 World’s Fair, Futurama II went even further, imagining underwater exploration, Antarctic settlements, and activity on the Moon.

Some of those ideas became reality.

Others? Well, we’re still waiting.

We’ve certainly built the highways.

Some of them even move occasionally.

Where’s My Flying Car?

For decades, we were led to believe that ordinary people would eventually travel around in flying cars.

No traffic jams. No potholes. No getting stuck behind someone who thinks the left lane is the perfect place for a leisurely Sunday drive.

Sounds wonderful.

Until you think about it.

Have you seen how some people drive?

Now imagine those same people navigating in three dimensions.

Suddenly, flying cars don’t sound quite as appealing.

Experimental flying cars and personal aircraft do exist, but cost, safety, weather, and airspace restrictions remain major obstacles.

And frankly, a mechanical breakdown at 2,000 feet sounds considerably less convenient than pulling onto the shoulder.

Maybe keeping most of us on the ground isn’t such a terrible idea.

Jetpacks and Video Phones

Here’s something interesting.

Bell Aerospace actually developed a working rocket belt in the 1960s.

It could fly!

For about 20 seconds.

That’s barely enough time to enjoy the experience before you need to start worrying about landing.

Modern versions have improved, but we’re still not using jetpacks to run to Walmart.

Probably a good thing. Imagine the parking situation.

Now, video phones were another story.

At the 1964 World’s Fair, Bell Telephone demonstrated its Picturephone, allowing people to see each other while talking.

AT&T even introduced commercial service in 1970.

Unfortunately, the equipment was expensive, bulky, and not particularly popular.

Today, we have FaceTime, Zoom, and countless other ways to make video calls.

They got that prediction right. It just took a few decades and a much smaller telephone.

Although I still think some conversations are better without video.

Especially before coffee.

Where’s Rosie the Robot?

Anyone remember Rosie from The Jetsons?

She cleaned the house, handled chores, and generally kept the family functioning.

Now that’s a future I could appreciate.

Today, we have robot vacuum cleaners, smart appliances, and artificial intelligence that can answer questions and carry on conversations.

But a robot that cooks dinner, cleans the kitchen, and folds laundry?

Still waiting.

Instead, we have robot vacuums that get stuck under furniture and appliances that send us notifications explaining why they can’t finish their jobs.

Apparently, even the robots have excuses now.

Rosie, if you’re out there, the laundry isn’t going to fold itself.

From a Team of Mules to a Smartphone

Here’s something that really puts all this progress into perspective.

I have a friend who’s 94 years old.

He grew up in a farming community in central Missouri, and I really enjoy listening to his stories about how different life was when he was young.

He talks about his dad farming with a team of mules.

Think about that.

His father worked the land using animals for power. Today, farmers have GPS-guided tractors that can practically steer themselves.

And here’s the part that makes me smile.

My friend has a smartphone.

And occasionally, he fusses about the darn thing.

He’s lived through the rise of commercial jet travel, the space age, television, computers, the internet, and now artificial intelligence.

And after all that, a cell phone can still test his patience.

Although, to be fair, mine tests my patience too.

I sometimes wonder what his father would think about today’s technology.

Would he be more impressed by smartphones and artificial intelligence?

Or a tractor that could steer itself across a field?

My guess is the tractor.

But what I enjoy most about my friend isn’t just the history he’s witnessed.

It’s listening to his stories and hearing him compare life then with life today.

At 94, he’s still sharp, witty, and perfectly capable of giving me a hard time.

And I enjoy every minute of it.

If I’m fortunate enough to make it to 94, I hope I’m a lot like him. Still curious, still laughing, still telling stories, and probably still fussing about whatever technology is driving everyone crazy by then.

Whatever Happened to All That Free Time?

Remember how technology was supposed to make life easier and give us more leisure time?

Well, it certainly made many things faster.

But did it make us less busy?

We can communicate instantly, which means people expect instant answers.

We can work from almost anywhere, which sometimes means work follows us everywhere.

And we’ve invented entirely new chores.

Passwords.

Software updates.

Account verification.

Subscription management.

And convincing a computer that, yes, I really am the person who owns the account.

Maybe technology didn’t give us more free time. Maybe it just gave us more things to squeeze into the time we already had.

There’s a difference.

I’ve Been Thinking…

Looking back, it’s easy to laugh at some of those old predictions.

Flying cars. Jetpacks. Moon vacations. Robot housekeepers.

But the people imagining those things weren’t necessarily foolish.

They were imagining a world where science and technology could make life better.

And in many ways, they were right.

We have incredible medical advances, instant communication, spacecraft exploring other worlds, and technology that would have seemed impossible just a few generations ago.

The future simply turned out differently than expected.

And maybe that’s the interesting part.

I think about my 94-year-old friend and everything he’s witnessed.

What might someone born today see over the next 94 years?

Will they laugh at our smartphones? Wonder how we ever drove our own cars? Be amazed that we still cooked our own meals?

Probably.

But I hope they’ll still appreciate a good story, enjoy a laugh, and take time to learn from someone who’s been around long enough to see a few things change.

Because the future isn’t just about the technology we invent. It’s also about the kind of people we become along the way.

And if I make it to 94, I hope I’m still telling stories, asking questions, and enjoying life as much as my friend does.

Even if I’m still arguing with whatever replaced the smartphone.

And Rosie?

I’m still waiting.