Doubtless, in another thousand years, historians will look back at our own time and find some similar epochal developments. Don’t ask us what they might be; we’ve frankly no idea. But it’s a little easier-and a lot safer-to predict what will happen in the next few decades. So, just five years before the parties that will celebrate the century’s turn, we asked NEwswEEK writers to have a go. Their brief was to choose something (or someone) specific and use their choice to illuminate a broader theme of tomorrow’s world. We’re glad to say that our writers’ picks ranged marvelously wide, from a trail in Utah to a beach on the Red Sea; from a new energy source to space-age fang; from a shortage of nuns to the gene that keeps us looking young. To spice up the mix, we asked a few well-known seers to give us their views of the state of the world. And we hoped America’s hottest new film director would share his thoughts with us (which he did, for two hours).
In five, years’ time, no doubt. some of these choices will look misguided, others old hat. There’ll be new discoveries, new disasters, new Hollywood phenoms (and, come the time, we’ll write about them, too). Despite one of our writers’ hopes, chances are people will still watch the pollen count. But we’ll make one prediction with some certainty: anyone repeating our exercise in the next few years will probably want to start in China. One thousand years ago, Chinese art, science and technology were the most advanced in the world. Gunpowder, printing and cataract surgery had all been mastered. Paper money was just starting to be circulated. Much later, China went into a long, somnolent decline, and Occidentals were happy to leave it there. “Let China sleep,” said Napoleon. “When she wakes the world will be sorry.” China’s waking now: and as our first story reveals, Napoleon had a point.
Throughout this package, we’ve used graphic icons to give you a taste of what’s in each story. Here’s the key to them:
