It’s a bit serendipitous that I read Andrew Maynard’s Future Rising immediately after re-reading Alan AtKisson’s Believing Cassandra. In 1999, a year before completing my undergraduate degree in environmental science from Ferrum College, Cassandra became required reading for understanding not just the physical challenges of sustainability, but also its more complex (and too often ignored) human elements. It seemed an appropriate time to revisit those prophetic early teachings from AtKisson and Ferrum as the world struggled through the COVID-19 pandemic and a frustrating blend of facts, opinions, and outright falsehoods about everything from PPE to vaccines. The message was loud, clear, and consistent across generations – don’t be fooled, technological solutions are relatively easy, but humanity is hard!
What struck me most about these two books – published more than 20 years apart – was how much Future Rising represents a much-needed modern take on AtKisson’s message of hope amidst circumstances and a future that appear increasingly desperate. Indeed, the human condition is nothing if not a shining blue dot of hope surrounded by a dark sea of desperation – an image Maynard evokes throughout Future Rising. Each generation has a tendency to view its circumstances as more dire than the last, and each requires a voice to remind them – against all assertions to the contrary – that there remains not only hope for a more sustainable and equitable future but also a path to realize it. Maynard doesn’t necessarily offer a prescriptive solution to the challenges facing humankind, but it’s evident throughout Future Rising that solutions still exist and that genuine hope resides in him – both of which are comforting to hear from an experienced techno visionary with an authoritative vantage point. Instead, Maynard outlines 60 essential components – framed as individual chapters or, more appropriately, meditations – that factor into realizing a more hopeful future (or, importantly, veering off course).
Future Rising is a uniquely constructed, thought-provoking journey that takes the reader from the origins of our universe and life on earth to a vision of the future that requires uniquely human experiences and collective action to prevent future suffering. Indeed, the only elements in the book that reside between past and future are “uniquely human”. While the chapters have a logical order, they can just as easily be read, re-read, and contemplated independently. Be prepared: Future Rising is more a meditation than a story. A desire for thoughtful contemplation on each topic linking humans to their shared past and future is the one ingredient that a reader must bring to each moment they spend with this book. As a rational optimist, Maynard ensures that hope is ever present, but the sobering undertones are no mistake and reflect the undeniable truth that the window of opportunity for humans to positively affect the future is closing.
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