Life has been changing so rapidly since the time I was born, that it is probably impossible to give an accurate picture of the next century. But it is crucial to try and anticipate the future; one reason is to prepare ourselves for further change, in order to adapt to it and avoid a "future shock". A second reason is that we should be able to influence this change, so that it is for the better. Advances in science and technology have been the major source of change in recent decades and this change has led to progress. This trend will continue in the future, because all of us have high expectations about the future. People dream of eradicating all sicknesses and wars, of colonizing space, of having machines do our work and spending most of our time on leisure activities, etc.

It will also continue because the Western economic system is built on change. New and better cars replace old models every year, and there is tremendous pressure to buy them. One thus cannot stop this progress without bringing economic stagnation and social unrest. Looking back to our past history, we learn that life on Earth as well as the Universe as a whole evolved from simple structures to increasingly complex ones. It is remarkable that the technological and social evolution of the past decades has taken the same path, toward complexity. We can thus expect complexity to be an inherent property of life in the next century.

Science and technology are responsible for the technical complexity of our life, as we have to deal with more and more sophisticated machines of all kinds on a daily basis. The information explosion has transformed society into a highly complex system of interdependent networks. On the cultural side, it is not so much complexity as diversity of available information that is bewildering. How this complexity will reveal itself in all aspects of life, and how we should educate our children to allow them to adapt to it, should be the first topic of a debate between world citizens.

The benefits of progress have so far outweighed its drawbacks. But will it always be so? A more likely scenario is that some future crisis will unexpectedly damage or perhaps even completely destroy our lives. Such a crisis may result from catastrophic climatic changes following excessive pollution of the environment, a global nuclear war, some perverse use of genetic engineering, overpopulation. It may also arise from a computer breakdown paralyzing society, or simply from the inability of an increasing fraction of society to adapt to further change. Because of these looming catastrophes, anti-science attitudes are on the rise, which may lead to irrationalism and to a backlash against progress.

To ensure that progress will be smooth and without negative effects, we should implement regulating mechanisms inside as well as outside the innovative process. Paradoxically, regulations are bound to add to the complexity of life in the future. First, those responsible for progress have to set up a stricter ethical code, in particular they have to foresee the consequences of their innovations. This applies to technical and medical innovations, but also to new social or economic structures. They also have to become more conscious of their social responsibilities. Scientists will have to raise the people's understanding of technological issues, such as nuclear power or the space program for example. Politicians will have to explain economic, political and social issues to the people. A well informed society should be able to decide what is best for itself; popular (but educated) wisdom should prevail.

There should also be outsiders to inform us of possible dangers of innovations. Journalists, consumer associations, individual concerned citizens, Amnesty International, ecology movements and other whistleblowers should be able to speak up freely. The ethical problems posed by progress will have to be examined and extensively debated, as they arise. We are well aware of those that have appeared in the medical field, but they will soon also arise in computer science as it deals with information on people, communication technologies as they invade our privacy, eliminate local cultures and dialects and change us into passive consumers. Those are some of the actions that might be undertaken to influence the path of progress.

A successful life in the next century implies that we adapt to complexity while steering progress away from possible crises. But we also have to adapt to a life with less time at work and thus more time for ourselves. What we could do in this free time is the last, but certainly not the least important topic that I would like to discuss here.

First there is one thing I deplore. Even though science should only deal with the material aspects of life, it also has affected our spiritual life, because it now provides a more realistic cosmology than religions, in effect replacing them in this role. This situation is obviously wrong, and the spiritual world (metaphysics, meditation, religious activities) should be restored to its proper place in our lives, perhaps after adapting to the new cultural environment. We obviously need stronger guidelines to live in an ever changing and often bewildering world. Leisure will gain importance in the future, as machines do most of the work. What could we do to make this free time an enriching experience? As there is no unique answer to this question, I would like to express here my personal view.

I believe that meeting and communicating with people, and having a creative activity are the two poles of a successful life. Learning new languages and finding out about other cultures, travelling, are assets in our attempts to communicate, and a creative manual activity brings confidence as we see concrete results. But again, each individual's path to happiness is unique. Life in 21st century is as fast as bullet catching the light speed but is very unfortunate to say that for the people residing in Afghanistan our lives are still in roving in the old centuries we have not adopted the fast and furious life of 21st century. We are yet unaccustomed with the speedy life which acquires and accumulates speed, accuracy, talent, potential and courage.