Editing Matthias

June 10th 2054

Diary Entry 

Title: Head Education Program Coordinator & Vice Chair for (APDI) Advanced Program Development Initiative Committee

	Today was so frustrating. The whole day wasted replying to representatives concerned about the growing anti-digital education sentiment. It’s such a fringe minority of irrational individuals who refuse to accept the potential remote education has to offer. Just imagine. In a few years we will have fully immersive VR education WORLDS with haptic feedback systems. Entire worlds! Designed from the ground up to offer the most extensive in depth education our species has ever dared to imagine. Students will have the opportunity to learn in a digital world almost indistinguishable from the real world. In fact, the digital world will be even better! Anything can be programmed into our worlds. We could have history students relive history as though they were a part of it. The sciences can be experienced first hand in rich, exciting and most importantly controlled, safe environments. Imagine performing dissections in Biology lectures without the trouble of procuring cadavers, or the stench of formaldehyde, or the risks associated with tools such as scalpels! Take a minute to think of the possibilities in the field of Chemistry; students can experiment with any combination of elements without institutions having to purchase and store potentially dangerous chemicals. Even dangerous mixtures and tests can be conducted by students without any investment in protective equipment such as lab coats, goggles, gloves, ventilation hoods. No risk of exposure, no liability and no cost of materials. What excites me most, however, is the realm of Physics. In school I struggled with the sometimes contradicting and confusing concepts in the physics sciences. Imagine bending the literal fabric of the universe. Manipulating the physical space around you to demonstrate any concept you desire. The transfer of energy, the bending of light, the visualization of sound! Do these possibilities not excite!? Do they not inspire these fools? Just consider how beneficial such quality education will be to the human race? 

	I have been discussing VR and Haptic technology with higher education in mind. But even our youngest. No. Especially our youngest children will have education of such calibre and quality that by the age of 10 years old, they could intellectually rival most adults from 30 years ago. 50 years ago when I myself was in my elementary years, I remember fondly the educational cartoons I watched. Those were considered revolutionary. An easy to consume diet of education for our youth, packaged as colourful adventures in remarkable imaginary worlds. My favourite must have been “The magic School Bus”. How I wished I could go on a field trip with Ms. Frizzle. I always thought to myself, wow, if only I could transform into a creature and learn about its ecosystem and symbiotic relationships; or travel to space to learn about planets and stars. Our current technology actually brings this reality within grasp. We can create metaverse worlds for any such educational adventure we wish. 

	And these regressive oafs want to protest all of these innovations, all these advancements, which hold the path toward our next great leap as a species. The power to literally create worlds in which we play God, in which we can manipulate and control whatever we desire. **Coughing** **Wheezing** ugh.... I hate these voice dictation devices. Any time I get heated and my blood pressure goes up, I cough and wheeze and the system records it along with everything else. I really need to get my health in check. At my last check up my AI Doctor recommended I get more exercise. It wants me to drop my weight from 284 lbs to 250lbs. But when do I find the time. The physical world is dreadful. I hate the idea of having to go outside. The only ones out there are those anti-digital morons. You can always tell who they are. They walk about in their “fit” bodies, smiling at each other, always blabbing in groups. 

	All I want to do is stay in my home. Everything I need is here. Besides where would I go? All the sidewalks have been removed to make wider roads for delivery vehicles. There’s no need to walk anywhere. Malls and stores have all been closed to create room for warehouses. We aren’t permitted in those, everything we need is delivered straight to us. Even fine dining is done from home. Restaurants have been converted into kitchen distribution centres they’re far superior to restaurants! They deliver your food to your home, and you can dine in an AR environment where you can choose the scenery and company around you. I personally love the patio tables overlooking the Peninsula de Osa in Costa Rica. I came across it one day when using the random search feature. An evening sunset meal in silence, with only the ambient song of nature playing is incredible. Perhaps that is one place in the physical wold worth “walking” to. Of course who knows what these places look like now. Much of the world has changed drastically. 

	As people began to live exclusively in the digital world, we have allowed nature to regain ownership of the earth. Our new lifestyles require little space, and robust technological infrastructure. Our communities have become extremely compact and dense. In most countries there are only a few cities which contain their entire population in spaces no larger than a few hundred “football stadiums”; now there’s an outdated term. Stadiums, and football only exist in the digital world these days. The metaverse has made created many virtual superstar footballers, who in the physical world would never have the chance to shine. This is another feature of the metaverse. It is the ultimate distributor of equity. It allows us to escape these deficient physical bodies we have been trapped in since our first breaths. Anyone can pursue any dream in our new world. Why anyone would want to return to the physical world is beyond my understanding. The physical world is the world of limitations, the world we are creating is the world of boundlessness. 

	The physical world has become a hindrance, it only exists to maintain our physical bodies. Which brings me back to my issue of health. My AI doctor report recommends I engage in more physical activity, but I dread the idea of unplugging and going out. I’ve considered ordering a VR Training unit; a device which allows you to run or walk in physical space while in VR or AR. The technology has existed for a few decades now, but its very large and expensive, especially the models that can handle individuals in my weight class. My pod (apartment) like many others is not able to accommodate these larger devices. I could probably manage to fit an old treadmill, but I can’t imagine myself running in place while starring at my dismal living conditions. Compared to the virtual apartment I live in my physical living accommodation is little better than a walk-in closet. Ugh, I’m stuck debating whether I hate the idea of an early death or the outside. Physical reality has become an inconvenience, have I mentioned that already? I can only hope that in the next three decades we develop technology that allows us to completely abandon our physical bodies and become an entirely digital entity. Wouldn’t that be nice!? No more physical limitations. No longer bound to one home world, and a visitor to the virtual worlds. We could return even more of this world to nature, imagine the space we could save if we uploaded ourselves to a limitless virtual realm, only leaving behind those fools who cling to the physical world. I suppose one can only dream for now.