Tuntomo, Ferdinand

A Better World to Live in, Not a Fancier One
by Ferdinand Tuntomo

Grade 10
Prompt Code: N10A
IST: Taylore Coulombe
Evaluator: Alexa
(read the Evaluator's comment and Connections)

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            6:00 a.m., October 20th, year 2011.
            Every day of my college life starts with the gentle beeping of the alarm clock on my nightstand. There are not any robots to help me dress or fix breakfast. Neither are there automated machines to prepare my shower, cook breakfast, or clean my apartment. No, life in 2011 is not a robotically assisted process as was speculated by many in the past.
            I remember how, as a high school student five years ago, I had perceived an ideal future loaded with technology. My classmates and I could almost envision shimmering skyscrapers, flying cars, and personal robotic servants. We would often lose ourselves in these imaginations which inspired us to create many sci-fi stories depicting our view of a perfect future.
            But today I regret how foolish I was to call that a perfect future. I now live in the future, and it is far from what I had schemed it to be. There is nothing “futuristic” about the future. I still wear khakis and a plaid shirt. My watch still has hands and is not a holographic media center. Cell phones look the same way they did five years ago. I don’t wear a helmet and a visor; I just slap a faded Raiders baseball cap on my head.
            No, there isn’t anything astounding and exciting about the future. Yet as I ponder it, I realize that the future I live in now is closer to perfect than anything I had imagined as a teenager. The ideal future is not a fanciful age of technology, but simply a better world for us to live in.
            After a breakfast of milk and cereal, I run down the three flights of stairs that lead down to the parking lot of my apartment complex. My small Toyota coupe sits in the corner of lot, beaded with the morning dew. I unplug its electrical cord in the front bumper from the car recharging station and climb into my vehicle. The ignition starts softly, and the dashboard flashes: “70% BATTERY REMAINING”.
            Gasoline cars are slowly ceasing from existence. As gasoline reserves ran out, prices rocketed so high that gas-powered automobiles became out of budget for most people. Car manufacturers began to manufacture more and more electrically powered cars. Idealists proposed cars that ran off methane or hydrogen. However, these gas fuels were not only troublesome to obtain, but also difficult to control safely. Gas leaks could easily go undiscovered and lead to an accident. These significant dilemmas resulted in the downfall of the “hydrogen economy” theory.
            Electricity became the most practical choice. Coal reserves have rapidly diminished since the new millennium, and the world has turned to nuclear energy as an optimal energy source. Radioactive fuel was virtually unlimited, and the process of nuclear fission only released steam into the atmosphere, making it free of pollution. The small amounts of nuclear waste were sealed in steel barrels and stored deep underground.
            The tremendous output of nuclear power easily met the needs of a modern world. Now cars, buses, boats, and even factories ran off electricity. Of course this makes travel limited; electric vehicles could only run for several hours before needing a recharge. Planes, which still run off fossil fuels, have become very expensive and have diminished in popularity as a means of transportation. Nowadays, most people take distant vacations via electric train or nuclear ship liners.
            I park my car on the beautiful college campus. As I gaze upward, the simple beauty of the pure blue sky simply silences me in awe. The gentle breeze whistles through the trees, spiraling crunchy yellow leaves to the ground. A deep breath of the fresh air convinces me that, despite the inconvenience of electrical vehicles, the result is more than worth it. Without car exhaust and factory smokestacks, the smoggy clouds that had overshadowed our city before are gone. The air is clean and sweet to breathe, and the flower beds that line the sidewalk seem to bloom with brighter, more radiant colors.
            Without pollution, the global warming threat is slowly dying as well. Greenhouse gases decreased in the atmosphere, moderating the weather worldwide. The recession of the oceans also averted tidal floods in coastal areas of the world.
            At my class, I settle down beside a fellow classmate and take my laptop out of my backpack. The campus now uses e-books, provided to students as downloads at no cost. Homework is daily emailed to students. Though e-books and emailed homework are more cumbersome than hardcopies, I was content because I knew that my extra trouble was a factor in stopping deforestation. By eliminating the excessive paper consumption in educational facilities, oxygen-producing trees are being preserved.
            After an interesting lecture on humanities, I pack my bag to leave. Just as I am leaving the classroom, one of my friends in the class catches up with me and asks me if I want to go for lunch together. I have leftovers in my backpack, but it is such a pleasant day and I want to spend some time with my classmate. I drive him and we stop at a small but cozy cafe just off the campus. I order a BLT sandwich, and my classmate takes a caeser salad and a bowl of potato soup.
            When my sandwich comes, I notice that the tomatoes are watery and light-colored, while my friend’s salad is a very pale green. We are used to these odd vegetables, the products of hydroponic farming. Plants whose roots rested in a nutrient solution were shined upon by solar lamps and could thus grow in hi-rise buildings. Fresh produce was now grown in multi-floor warehouse-like structures. Because the solution and climate could be exactly controlled for optimum production, crops were extremely fruitful, though the vegetables lost some flavor and color.
            Despite the taste and appearance, hydroponic vegetables made food more abundant and affordable. Arid desert countries formerly in starvation could produce crops to feed their population. Hunger was slowly being stamped out among humankind. Less people had to suffer for lack of food and malnutrition.
            The soft TV on the wall of the cafe reports the formation of a new peace treaty between the European countries. The advance of technological weaponry has not caused more war, but instead has encouraged more communication and compromise between nations. Countries respected each other’s power and sought to peacefully resolve conflicts. This resulted in stronger global friendships between nations. Every act of peace was another step toward a harmonized world capable of solving its problems without war and slaughter.
            After a day of classes and studying, I drive into the city to Wal-Mart for some necessities. Unlike the way it was five years ago, most of the products are made in the U.S.A. and are not as cheap as they once were.
            The mechanization of many factories took many underpaid factory laborers out of their miserable condition. As underdeveloped manufacturing countries adopted machinery to perform menial tasks, people were freed from factory work. Coupled with the global spread of government-funded education, the populations could attain to higher employment and higher standards of living. People of India and China could now enjoy comfortable lifestyles comparable to those in U.S.A. and Europe.
            Of course this means that dirt cheap labor is no longer available. More products have to be produced locally and cost more, but it is better to know that the extra price I pay for a jacket and a walkman is making it possible for others halfway around the world to live as comfortably as I do.
            That night in bed, I reflect on my day. Technology is not for us to depend on for all our chores, but a tool to help others. It is a channel of altruism to mankind, even when it makes life more difficult on our part. Contrary to our concepts, technology is not to simplify life but to improve it, and improving life doesn’t always mean making it easier. Improving life is making our world better for all of mankind over the globe.
            My heartfelt words to those still living in 2006 is to see this ideal future. Please don’t use technology to ornament and beautify; such misuse embellishes some at the expense of others. Rather, use technology to help people in need, not just to help yourself. Put away the dreams of a “tech-world”; put other human beings first. Use technology to make our world a better place to live in, not a fancier one.

Writing Program Evaluator Alexa comments:

In his essay, "A Better World to Live in, Not a Fancier One," Ferdinand adjusts the prompt to better fit his interests, thus allowing him to make a personal connection with his writing. The future he explores in his narrative is unique in its perspective and refreshing in its optimism. While leading the reader through an average day of the narrator, Ferdinand is able to reveal glimpses of what he imagines the future may be like. This allows him to be both expository about this future world's intricacies and persuasive concerning pertinent environmental and economic issues, all without losing sight of the narrative. Note in particular how Ferdinand attempts to balance these techniques as he drives to school in his Toyota coupe and orders a BLT for lunch. In addition, his use of incredible detail and research to support these small events makes his narrative engaging and seem plausible. As Ferdinand concludes his paper, his final plea to use technology responsibly permeates to the readers of today.

Connections:

*To read different takes on looking into the future, read Cici Marchione's "Where Will You Be in 2009?" in Fly Free, the 2003-2004 Gorman Anthology or Shirlee McCoy's "A Look into the Future" in Illuminations, the 2005-2006 Gorman Anthology.

*Ferdinand concludes his essay by issuing a call to action, encouraging his readers to "use technology to make our world a better place to live in, not a fancier one." Consider using this conclusion technique of addressing the reader in a call to action the next time you write a persuasive paper.

*In this essay, Ferdinand speculates about many positive possibilities and sustainable developments, such as electric cars, clean nuclear power, hydroponic vegetables, and government-funded education. Research the specifics of any of these possibilities. After researching, do you agree that the specific possibility is plausible? If so, why? If not, why not? Do you have other, different proposals for ways that we can use technology to make our world a better place? Write an essay in response, outlining your vision of an ideal future.