In the second installment of Back to the Future, Marty McFly leaves 1985 and travels to 2015 to change the fate of his family. Imagine watching this movie when it was released in 1989, picturing how the world would be like in thirty years time.

I get this feeling when I consider 2025; the feeling of a faraway technologically advanced future. As the number turns, I am marvelled by how a simple number can represent our technological advancement achieved so far and how every year, we get nearer and nearer to this futuristic world of advanced technology we see in the movies. The turn of a new year represents a year that will be technologically more advanced than all other years. I know, it is weird to consider the new year this way. Just like Marty McFly, I am marvelled at what the future holds. However, I don’t know what the future will be like, unlike Marty who actually got to see it.

Even though in 2015 flying skateboards were not invented like what the movie predicted, who knows what the future might bring. In a few years time, the younger generations being born today will not understand a world where we played Mario Brothers on our Nintendos or watched Disney Channel to the point where you knew every single word to The Suite Life of Zack and Cody. Already today, we see children of even three years old with iPads. They don’t know what it means to ride a bike at the park and to just be a kid.

I sound like my parents, but yes, at such a young age, I feel nostalgic of my childhood for the simple reason that I did not appreciate it enough and that today’s generations will never get to experience, what I consider, a good childhood.

Furthermore, does this mean progress is destroying the value of our lives? Shouldn’t progress be improving our lives? Can we stop progress? Should we stop progress? A lot of questions. A very complicated answer (if there even is one).

Nevertheless, the world is continually changing and technology is the key factor. One cannot stop the clock. The turn of a year comes whether we want it to or not.

This New Year’s Eve, I felt a strange feeling of indifference. I was not impressed that 2019 was only a few seconds away. I guess I can be too realistic at times. It is only that a few days have passed by now and that I actually wrote down today’s date, that I have comprehended to this change.

2018 was a few days ago and only the number of the year has changed; our lives continue whether the year has turned or not. The difference in the number only encourages us to change our lives and our actions. Thus, maybe we need to reflect more on our lives regularly, not just when the clock strikes midnight at the turn of a new year.