-
PERSONAL OFFICE
"The perfect form of scientifically organized society is not merely a quantitative accumulation of productive forces but a qualitative stage in development... new social relations are as improbable without new people as are the new people without the new economy. When this was realized it led to the greatest attention being paid to education, to the physical and mental development of man. " Ivan Efremov, 1957, Andromeda: A Space-Age Tale Nebula.
Anna brushed her unruly bangs off the face and squinted a little from the bright sun. A turned-on electric car with an open top rustled quietly nearby. Tom caught himself thinking that he wanted to remember this moment forever. Instantly a 3D image of the freckled, smiling girl’s face was loaded into the RAM of the embedded biochip. A small wave of happiness swept through the nervous system. Tom rushed to Anna and hugged her tightly.
A clear voice came behind him:
- Are you still here? Well, run at once!
Andrea smiled widely with her iron mouth and jokingly threatened with a finger.
- The household robots became too advanced, - Tom muttered and smiled also.
Anna quickly jumped to the driver's seat:
- A little bit longer, and you will miss the prom. You won’t see the space as your ears! - Tom quickly and clumsily fell to the passenger seat after the friend.
The car jerked forward and rushed through skyscrapers to the high school building. Anna almost never used the autopilot, she was almost seventeen and the last year of the school remained. She breathed in the aroma of fresh greens and was thinking that all the splendor of the modern lifestyle had appeared quite recently, about ten years ago, and in the world there are still a lot of places where people live suffering. While in Europe, America, China, fast robotic transportation, automatic control and traffic direction, decentralized robotic manufacturing are booming fast, - everything that allows to live freely in nature, outside the large cities - in some countries of Africa there are still wars, hunger and poverty. Anna's mother says that it is important to perceive the planet Earth as a common home for all nations. Dad at breakfast, discussing the news, said that the recent introduction of a unified decentralized currency would necessarily lead to the formation of a unified state on the whole planet. Anna thought that her father was a little odd, but she really wanted to believe him.
"May be, people can really become mentally stronger, physically healthier, more conscious and kind," the girl thought, mentally planning the next 100 years of her life.
Tom was also lost in his thoughts, dreamed and imagined in colors how he would become the captain of the space tourist liner and would show people the beauty of the planet from space, or even go to the irrecoverable journey to Mars and become hero.
- Listen, are you a "designer child"? - Anna blurted out suddenly and looked at her friend with a sly grin.
This knocked Tom out of the stream of inspirational thoughts, he even stopped smiling:
- Well, a couple of genes corrected. So what? Just do not tell anyone.
The boy frowned a little. Editing genes and biohacking became popular more than 20 years ago, but not all the people were enthusiastic about the new-fashioned trends. Frankly, Tom had three moms, two dads and several brothers and sisters who had not yet decided which of the sexes to choose. By American standards, his family was progressive, but quite ordinary, but here in China, they quickly became local celebrities.
- Do all mothers care about you evenly or do they share responsibilities? – Anna couldn’t stop teasing him.
Tom chuckled, burst out laughing and retorted:
- I just get three times much love! You never dreamed!
A second later, from behind the turn, a high school building appeared, large and bizarre. Hundreds of people crowded in front of it, laughing and chattering were heard everywhere, the guests were hugging each other, regaling with goodies, giving flowers and gifts.
Tom flew into the hall like a whirlwind and took his place just at the moment when the solemn music started to play and important guests began to enter the hall.
The first speaker was the director of the Academy, Alan Choi.
- Dear graduates! Over the last 20 years, mankind has made a big step forward in educating people of a new format: healthy, strong, courageous, intelligent, kind, conscious. What your parents could only dream about now has become a reality. You have graduated from school worthily and are ready to enter adulthood. We have tried to give you the latest knowledge, all the most necessary and useful, which will be relevant for a long time. Revealed the natural inclinations of each of you and showed how humanity has come to today's level of development. Knowledge and skills acquired in these walls will help you overcome any challenges! Do not be afraid of anything and always believe in yourself as much as I believe in you!
Tom’s biochip started to vibrate weakly, transmitting a message from the biological mother of the boy sitting in the stands for guests behind the stalls. A native voice gently sounded in his head: "Dear, I'm proud of you!"
At that moment, Tom was proud of himself. The first years of school were not easy for him. He was a frail boy, and in the "new school" (as it was called by the people), great attention was paid to physical development.
However, soon Tom grew up and became one of the strongest boys. Most of the classes took place outdoors, theoretical lessons were constantly interspersed with training in various labor skills. It always charged Tom with energy, and now he smiled at his childhood memories. The study of each subject began with historical digressions, the main place in which was given to the analysis of mistakes made in the past. Thanks to outstanding analytical skills, Tom's reports have always been very popular with classmates. He was always listened with great interest, being entranced. And now, at the prom, Tom's speech - the best student of the year - was greeted with applause, friendly whistling and supporting hooting.
- Friends, the world is changing rapidly, and it depends on us what it will be like. We know that, since ancient times, the destruction of empires, states and other political and social institutions occurs through the loss of the internal reference points of a person. In the 21st century, this is largely the result of the world's obsession with faith in the omnipotence of science. Fascinated by scientific and technological progress, our society has almost forgotten about the primary need to improve man himself. Since all imperfections under the laws of evolution degrade and die, then the most important condition and guarantee of the existence of our entire civilization is the comprehensive development of man himself, and of the whole society. The model of pedagogical education in the "new school", where education is transformed from coercion into desire and aspiration for knowledge, has helped us become what we are now. Each of us, developing harmoniously, creates a happy future for the planet Earth. I ask you always to remember this. Thank you!
Hardly having sat down to the end of the official part, Anna first ran behind the stage and rushed to hug him. Numerous parents and relatives followed right after. Soon the famous pilot and cosmonaut Mr. Gray Obo, Tom's mentor and preceptor, arrived. He embraced the boy, patched his shoulder, enthusiastically shaking his massive fist and saying: "You will definitely become a pilot! Uuuh!"
Each of the graduates in three years would have to try twelve different professions, and this will no longer be educational, but real working tasks. Teachers assigned tasks in accordance with the revealed inclinations and abilities of the students. All young people could not wait to try themselves in different professions and ensure the correctness of the chosen path, check the aptitudes and preferences in practice.
The crowd around Tom grew:
- I was given the task to calculate the construction and equip for visiting the lower tier of the Boy-Bulok cave in Central Asia, - Tor Antonov started.
- And I will build the road to the highest mountain lake in Tibet and give the lake its name, - Dmitri Alvarez said.
-And …- the two young men faltered a little - We both have the ability to music, - Dima said blushing. - And we are instructed to collect materials on the ancient dances of New Guinea, to restore them - musically and choreographically.
- That is, to find performers and to create an ensemble? - Tom laughed.
- Yes, - Tor said, and his cheeks burned. The whole company laughed loudly.
Tom smiled at all thirty-two teeth and was happy that he had to work out routes for space shuttles in NASA, and in three years he would definitely enter the Academy of distant and near space. In distant dreams, closer to the middle of life, he thought of writing a book or singing in opera, becoming the best rower or learning the Maya language, getting a few more educations, and maybe even trying out himself in politics. One thing young man knew for sure - the people of his generation are the future of the planet. These people will be able to build a society of active, friendly, open, independent and responsible citizens, sincere and joyful, and most importantly, happy.
Tom looked around, found Anna's eyes, winked at her, grabbed her hand and dragged her through the crowd to the exit. Unforgettable adventures were waiting for them!
Images from unsplash.com
Thank you very much for the article, Irina!