Having faith in a modern future

I sit here reading about the future. It is fascinating. Today, I am reading about nanotechnology, which will likely be a reality in the future. A researcher says that nanotechnology opens unimagined possibilities for mankind. In the future, tiny nanorobots will circulate in our bodies. Like ravenous bloodhounds, they will efficiently search out and destroy diseased cells, harmful bacteria, and other impurities.

Whether they also search out and destroy the chocolate cake you ate last night, I don’t know, but it would not surprise me. It is also said that these robots will maintain the healthy cells and ensure that our bodies do not grow old. Best of all, this is not so far in the future; we might be talking about no longer than a couple of decades.

Will God soon be "out of date"?

I read on. Another scientist writes enthusiastically about the human brain. He believes that it won’t be many decades before we will develop interfaces that allow the brain to communicate directly with computers. That would be amazing! Maybe you are not smart enough? Plug in a new processor, and voilà, you become a living combination of Einstein and Rain Man. Do you struggle with a poor memory? Just get a backup! Is this far-fetched? Perhaps. Is it just fantasy? Not according to today’s visionary scientists.

With this, the great question arises. Can mankind take the final step and become independent of God? Can we remove the need for putting our trust and confidence in a Creator?

Let us imagine all this becoming reality in 50 years. What possibilities there would be! In 50 years, the world would have only healthy, youthful, beautiful people with brilliant minds. We would always be at peak performance levels, and would never be sick. If we didn’t live forever, we would at least have several hundred years of life to look forward to. With the help of technology, we would have an unparalleled ability to think intelligently and rationally. Thus we would have the insight to recognize that war and strife are not good for the world. There would even be peace in the Middle East. The climate problems would be solved. Corruption would be eradicated. Food problems would be solved. We would live in perfect harmony with nature. Maybe in 50 years we will have created our own perfect paradise; our own heaven on earth.

Or maybe not.

Something doesn't add up

There is one thing that doesn’t quite add up in this picture. Although science has made great strides in many areas, I don’t think the nanorobots will be able to remove each person’s inherent egotism, selfishness, and greed. Neither do I believe that genetic engineering can make a person more patient or caring. What would we have, then, in 50 years? A world full of healthy, youthful people with brilliant minds—who are self-centered, greedy, and impatient. A world where human beings are full of themselves. This is not paradise. This is hell!

I am also unsure whether science truly understands the human soul. For that matter, I’m not entirely sure they even know where it is located in the body. Maybe that could be something to research. My guess is that they probably would not find it in the appendix, if you get my point.

Faith is the only firm anchor

Is not the deepest longing of each human soul a desire for peace and harmony with the Creator? Is not the fulfillment of this longing itself the key to genuine happiness and joy? In this context, we could quote Jesus’ own words, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” Matthew 16:27.

We live in modern times, where there is continual progress in science and technology which influences our lives. I’m happy for that. I appreciate today’s conveniences and comforts too much to wish to go back to the old days. Yet in the midst of this rapid development, I find that faith in God is becoming more and more important; it is the only firm anchor in a world that otherwise has little to offer to a searching soul.

A rich and meaningful life

Let me conclude by sharing my personal thoughts about the future—the way it will be if the God whom I believe in allows me to live. In 50 years, my faith in Him will be stronger and more valuable than ever before. It will have given me a uniquely rich and meaningful life to look back on and an even richer life to look forward to. It will have made me a better person; I will be more caring, more thoughtful, and much less self-centered and egotistic than I am now. I will have a great number of good friends all over the world, whom I love to be with. In my heart, I will have a deep thankfulness for each day I have been allowed to live, and I will have great expectations for the future here on earth and for eternity. This is what I believe.

What do you believe?