Summer 1985 – At Universal Studios (CA) with the original DeLorean
On July 3rd, 1985, the day I turned 21 years old and the day it hit theaters, I saw “Back to the Future” and it became one of my favorite movies of all time instantaneously. So, last night, on my 51st birthday, 30 years later, I watched it again. My husband was chuckling because I must have seen this movie so many times I was reciting most of the dialogue verbatim. It never gets old! I made a date with my husband on July 3rd, 2045, 30 years from now, on my 81st birthday, we’ll have to watch it again!
Interestingly enough, as we all know, the movie series goes 30 years back in time to 1955 and forward in time to 2015, and while watching the movie my husband and I started wondering if the changes from 1955 to 1985 have been more or less significant than the ones from 1985 to 2015. There is no doubt that in the movie they got some things right, such as Flat Screen TVs, Skype-like video-calls, tablets and smartwatch-like gadgets, but I think they over fantasized about hover-boards and flying cars. I don’t think we’ll see flying cars in my lifetime, honestly.
Even so, the real 2015 progress from 1985 is undeniable.
For one, the computer and the internet is huge in my book. Close second if not tied for 1st place is the cell phone. I invite any current teenager to live without their cell phone, computer, or the internet. Seems impossible, right? But we did it. Yes, at times life was difficult without it. We did not have the luxury of googling stuff we needed to know or call/text someone with the answer to a question we needed right then and there, and if God forbid your car stranded you on the highway in the middle of nowhere you had to walk to the nearest highway phone to get help. I know this latter situation only too well. In 1990 my car just “died” an hour out of Phoenix on my way to Los Angeles to pick up my sister at the airport. Luckily for me a family stopped by to give me a ride to the nearest rest area, and from there they gave me a ride to the closest rental car place. It could have turned out awful, I count my lucky stars every day for that family that “saved me”, but it would have been so much easier had I had a cell phone back then! Case in point, a couple of years ago my car got stuck in the sand as I pulled over to answer my phone (yes, I get the irony!), and because I had my phone, I was able to call AAA to get my behind out of the sand within 30 minutes.
So, while the differences between 1955 and 1985 seem pretty big, I do think we’ve seen quite a few changes here from our 2015 vintage point to make us wonder what 2045 might be like. I still don’t think we’ll see flying cars. I just don’t see it. I do see cars driving themselves though, for sure. I also see our society relying more and more on computer/robotic stuff for everything. And I do mean everything.
I tell you what I’d like to see as well. I would like to see a more united world. In a way, living in the United States for the past 33 years has taught me that despite our differences, we’re all the same. I met people that moved here from every part of the globe and we all want the same things. We all want love, respect and the chance to live a good life. Is that possible for 2045? We shall see.
Happy 4th everyone!
