Illustration by Susanne Gold, text by Stefan Müller

100 years is hardly a period for a reliable forecast, but perhaps for a sketchy utopia

There will be a new quality of togetherness between people – virtual and real.
For 2122 it will have long since become clear that togetherness is not possible either in real or virtual terms, but that both play an important role and hold opportunities.

Overall, we will take a lot of time to spend together and pay attention to what our respective needs are. Therefore, when we travel (to each other), we will have better reasons than cheap pleasures, short meetings or status and it will be done with always sustainable means of transport.

Meaning and common good orientation replace profit maximization.

The crises of the 21st century will have led to money and profit becoming worthless on their own. Too much has fallen victim to the accompanying economic and financial crises in the past. That this will nevertheless not have led to impoverishment or great hardship will be thanks to the tireless commitment of countless people.

This collective experience of crises will have created a kind of new currency that will be measured by the contribution that an individual or an organization makes to the common good. There will be new ways of investing in innovation and start-ups, because it became clear that stock markets
and financial markets were not very effective in crises.

When it comes to financing 2122 new ideas and innovations, crowd-funding will usually be the means of choice. Here, the investment will not be made with the goal of profitability, but with the intention of enabling a novel contribution to the common good.

A new operating system in 100 years

Society and all its organs and organizations act 2122 like a large network, or, better still, like a single organism. The prevailing basic pattern is that of cells or circles that will always form from a need or potential. If possible, these will network globally with cells that have arisen from similar needs and then create solutions together and thereby create added value for all those affected by the need. Power then does not come from a central authority, but literally from the population – democracy in the best sense.

Sustainability and resilience with the new operating system

The new operating system will have led to action being taken with a great deal of common sense overall – in the sense of sustainability and responsibility toward future generations. A deeply anchored principle of adaptability will immensely increase the resilience of our community and make change easier. New ideas will be tried out much more naturally and at the same time there will be regular reflection on how they prove themselves or how they need to be adapted.