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EventsJune 10, 2021

Der Geruch von Kaffee bleibt gut

2040 Essay Contest: A day in [y]our life

During the spring semester 2021, the Strategic Foresight Hub launched the “2040 Essay Contest: A day in [y]our life”. The ETH community was invited on a journey to the year 2040 and encouraged to describe a day in their imagined future. From the submitted essays, the SFH team selected four essays which you find below. Criteria for the selection were the relevance to the posed question, creativity and the readability.
The selected essays can now be rated by the public for the public prize.Please vote here.
A jury will select an essay that will be developed further.

The essays are presented in random order.

The essay was written in German. You may find the English translation below.

Die Sonne geht pünktlich um 7:54 Uhr auf, ich sehe sie aber nicht. Winterlicher Nebel liegt heute, am 2. Dezember 2040, über der Stadt Zürich. Meine 20-jährige Kaffeemaschine tut ihren Dienst immer noch – eine der Konstanten in meinem Tagesablauf. Meine Töchter Hannah und Leah kommen verschlafen aus ihren Zimmern. Ihr Tagesablauf ist immer eine Wundertüte für mich. Beide sind Unternehmerinnen. Hannah entwickelt neue Angebote für Dauergäste, die in der Schweiz Hideaways suchen, Leah bietet über eine Plattform Lerneinheiten für Kinder an. Der Arbeitsort spielt eine Rolle und doch keine. Die Interaktion mit den Kunden, ah nein, Partnern, ist online, physisch oder eine Kombination davon. Wobei Leah und Hannah meinen, ohne physischen Kontakt sei noch nie eine gute Beziehung aufgebaut worden. Ich gebe ihnen recht. Wie stärken wir Beziehungen? Mit gemeinsamen Erlebnissen. Dafür sind möglichst alle Sinne involviert, was selbst unsere Roboter-Buddies nicht umfassend kompensieren können. Die doch so wichtige menschliche Essenz fehlt. Item.

Beim Morgenkaffee führen wir mal wieder die Werte-Diskussion – welche eigentlich keine ist, da es für uns nichts dazu zu diskutieren gibt: Wir arbeiten nur mit Leuten zusammen, mit welchen wir unsere Werte teilen, und die sind seit 20 Jahren dieselben. Was sich in den 20 Jahren geändert hat, ist der Umgang mit dem Raum – wir lieben das rasante Leben in der Stadt, in der engen, fast unbezahlbaren Wohnung. Die ETH hat den Hauptstandort längst verlegt, übrig geblieben ist die graubraune Fassade. In deren Innern pulsiert das Nachtleben, auch am Tag. Ich freundete mich nie damit an… Wie dem auch sei, die Hälfte der Zeit verbringen wir sowieso in unserem Hideaway in den Bergen, auch unbezahlbar – verbunden mit den Liebsten, verbunden mit den Freunden. Mobilität? On demand, dann wenn es am günstigsten ist. Möglichst ungestört und sicherlich nicht selber am Steuer. Meine Daten? Das neue Gold – ich bestimme über einen Grossteil davon und mache gutes Geld damit. Dessen Währung? Irrelevant, da hier geografische Grenzen keine Rolle mehr spielen. Die meisten Staaten haben ihre eigene Währung aufgegeben. Das Gute daran? Wir sind nahe daran, dass globale Umweltbelastungen internalisiert und die Kosten effizient verteilt sind. Ist es zu spät für uns Menschen? Nein, ich bin zuversichtlich und freue mich, falls sich meine Töchter bei Gelegenheit für eine weitere Generation entscheiden.

The smell of coffee remains good

The sun rises on time at 7:54, but I can’t see it. Winter fog lies over the city of Zurich today, 2 December 2040. My 20-year-old coffee machine is still doing its job – one of the constants in my daily routine. My kids Hannah and Leah come sleepily out of their rooms. Their daily routine is always a bag of surprises for me. Both are entrepreneurs. Hannah develops new offers for permanent guests looking for hideaways in Switzerland, Leah offers learning units for children via a platform. The place of work plays a role and yet none. Interaction with clients, ah no, partners, is online, physical, or a combination thereof. However, Leah and Hannah say no good relationship has ever been built without physical contact. I agree with them. How do we strengthen relationships? With shared experiences. This requires the involvement of as many senses as possible, something that even our robot buddies can’t fully compensate for. The all-important human essence is missing.

Over our morning coffee, we are once again having a discussion about values – which is not really a discussion, since there is nothing for us to discuss: we only work with people with whom we share our values, and they have been the same for 20 years. What has changed in the 20 years is the way we deal with space – we love the fast-paced life in the city, in the cramped, almost unaffordable apartment. ETH Zurich has long since moved its main location, what remains is the gray-brown facade. Inside, nightlife pulsates, even during the day. I never made friends with it… Anyways, half the time we spend in our hideaway in the mountains, also priceless – connected with loved ones, connected with friends. Mobility? On demand, when it’s most convenient. As undisturbed as possible and certainly not at the wheel ourselves. My data? The new gold – I control a large part of it and make good money with it. Its currency? Irrelevant, since geographical borders no longer play a role here. Most countries have given up their own currency. The good thing? We are close to internalizing global environmental burdens and distributing the costs efficiently. Is it too late for us humans? No, I’m confident, and I’ll be happy if my daughters decide to give rise to another generation someday.


Voting

You may vote for one of the essays here: https://sctlxofb57l.typeform.com/to/nmHTQxxy

More information

You may find more information on our website.


Other contest essays

A Glimpse into a Post-covid Future
Überwachung und Selbstoptimierung

your 2040
Previous Überwachung und Selbstoptimierung
Next The Future of Today is Happening Tomorrow

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#Africa #Asia-Pacific #Climate Change #CYBATHLON #Diplomacy #Diversity & Inclusion #Energy Transition #Engineering #ENHANCE #ETH4Development #ETH Alumni #ETH Global Lecture #ETH Studios #Europe #Events #Exchange Programme #Food #Foresight #Future of Work #GYSS #Health #How we connect #How we cope #How we learn and work #How we reflect #How we respond creatively #Hyperloop #Information Technology #Innovation in Architecture #Latin America #Machine Learning #Mathematics #North America #Open Your Eyes #Quantum #RETHINKING LIVING #Robotics #Singapore-ETH Centre #Smart Cities #South Asia #Sports #Sustainable Development Goals #togETHer #WE ARE ETH #your 2040