I replied off the cuff that the easiest way to peer into our future is to look at countries more advanced than we are.
On the one hand we have the United States and Europe, on the other hand we have China.
The obvious measure of advancement at this point in time is through a territory’s technology. China is already 5G-ing while the rest of the world is playing catch up.
Then wherein does the progress of the not-5G US and Europe lie?
Post modernism; a la why the need to “progress” endlessly?
But of course “decline” is a contending word for describing the same phenomenon.
I continued that the difference between decline and otherwise is if the resources, which could have led to clearly defined and visible developments in the form of physical infrastructure such as 5G-ing, were diverted to a betterment elsewhere.
Examples include welfare, healthcare, eliminating inequality, mental health, criminal justice system etc., loosely summed up as the strengthening of social institutions.
Improvements, or not, in these soft areas are debatable, unlike hard infrastructure such as 5G.
But as of this writing, it seems like the US is faring poorer than Europe. The social institutions of the latter are stronger than the former vis. no 5G in both.
Such was my reply to my uncle on the future of Singapore’s.
As a country behind many other more advanced ones, the spectrum of our future already lies in front of us and we need not imagine further.
Unless of course we are hypothesising a future of cyborgs or a virtual one like that in Ready Player One.
Personally, I will be contented to simply make merry and have barbecues after barbecues with friends and families, with just the phone that I’m typing on right now next to me.
Keching 