My thoughts often drift toward the future: What will it look like? How will humans live in it? Especially since we are living in an era of accelerating developments, where growth today has become "exponential," surpassing the slow stages of evolution that used to take decades.
With the rising anxiety among people and the recurring question: "Will AI take our jobs?", I found myself thinking about the subject from a slightly deeper angle. Strangely, I began to notice an interesting historical pattern: the more we advance, the less costly and more available life becomes.
In the past, humans traveled vast distances to get water; today, you open a tap in your home, and water flows immediately. Similarly with the internet; going to an internet café used to be an event, but today the whole world is in your pocket.
The Engine of Abundance: The Equation of Energy and Intelligence
Of course, I am not oblivious to reality; we still see poverty, and there are still homeless people in the most advanced nations. We are in a critical transition phase; we possess the tools of abundance, but we still manage them with a scarcity mindset.
However, if we look at the general trend of the future, the picture becomes clearer.
Today, to run AI, we need energy, and nations have begun building massive power plants. Here appears a marvelous synergy: AI accelerates energy research, and abundant energy fuels AI.
The equation is beginning to clear up: Cheap Energy + Super Intelligence = Production Cost Approaching Zero.
This synergy places us—at an accelerated pace—on the doorstep of what economists call a "Post-Scarcity Economy."
Imagine a world where the cost of food, medicine, transportation, and even building homes is so negligible that they become accessible to everyone as a basic right.
The Forced Elevator in Maslow's Pyramid
Here lies the psychological dilemma that no one talks about. Let us use Maslow's Pyramid to understand what is happening to us historically:
In the Past (Base of the Pyramid): Humans lived for thousands of years struggling at the base (Safety and Survival). The meaning was clear and simple: "I hunt and eat so I can live and protect my family."
Today (Middle of the Pyramid): Technology and modern systems have "automatically" lifted us to the middle (Social Needs and Esteem). We have become seekers of status, prestigious jobs, and belonging. We are stuck here, defining ourselves by our job titles.
The Future (Top of the Pyramid): The coming abundance will forcibly push humanity toward the peak (Self-Actualization).
The problem isn't the ascent; the problem is reaching the peak while psychologically unprepared. Humans will suddenly find themselves with their basic and security needs met, but the "crutch" of being busy earning a living will be pulled away from them.
Science Warns: Happiness is Not Meaning
In a remarkable study published in 2023 titled "Searching for meaning in a post-scarcity society" (Pelligra & Sacco), researchers point to a fundamental issue:
In times of scarcity, merely acquiring resources was considered an achievement that gave life meaning. But in times of abundance, acquiring resources becomes routine and boring.
The study warns against confusing "Happiness" (momentary pleasure and comfort) with "Flourishing," which requires challenge, effort, and a sense of impact. The real danger is drowning in a very comfortable luxury that is completely empty of meaning.
Identity Crisis: Who Am I Without a "Job Title"?
Here we arrive at the most dangerous existential question.
Throughout history, human definition has been linked to "work." The first question in any gathering is: "What do you do?" The answer becomes your identity: Engineer, Doctor, Teacher.
Well, in the age of AI, when the role of traditional work shrinks or disappears... Who are you?
When work disappears as a necessity for survival, the easy definition of the self disappears with it.
We will enter an existential identity crisis: "If I am not my job... then who am I?"
The $10 Million Test... and the Return of the "Voice"
To bring the picture closer, imagine this mental exercise with me:
If I told you today: I guarantee you $10 million monthly for the rest of your life.
Will you be comfortable? Yes, certainly.
You will travel, buy, and experience all the pleasures of the world for a year or two... But, what will you do after that?
Here, everyone goes silent.
Why? Because the engine has died.
Most people today do not move out of awareness; they move because there is a "Knife" stabbing them from behind (fear of poverty, rent, societal pressure, fear of failure). We are running away from the knife, not running toward a real goal.
In that moment of future void, when the "Knife" disappears, something we buried long ago will return: The Inner Voice.
This voice died previously under the weight of societal expectations and the grind of responsibilities. But it will return to ask you clearly:
"And now, after your safety is guaranteed... What is the thing you are ready to wake up for every day with love and passion, not for money and not for people?"
Conclusion: Don't Wait for Abundance to Discover the Void
It was necessary to clarify this psychological aspect due to its connection to the future.
We think we will be at rest when technology secures our food and shelter. But the truth is, we will exit the "struggle for survival" only to enter the "struggle for meaning."
Feelings of emptiness will not have mercy on you if you don't possess an answer. Searching for this voice, listening to it, and following it is effectively the path of self-healing for all your "internal knots" and psychological complexes that have accumulated over the years.
Don't wait until the knife falls to discover that you have no legs to move. Ask yourself today:
If you woke up tomorrow, and all your financial and social obligations had disappeared... What is the one thing you would keep doing simply because you are "You"?