Future View Responses

4/16/22

Recent Pew surveys have suggested that 40% of adults 25 to 54 are neither married nor living with a partner. Fully half of single adults are no longer looking for a relationship. Even sexual activity has reached a 30-year low. Should the culture combat these trends? Do you plan to form a family?

The referred to trends on declining relationships and marriage rates are trends that the culture should combat. Marriage can provide a couple with social and economic stability which is much more difficult to find in platonic or fraternal relationships. This stability which begins at a household level will naturally and positively influence a community and nation. This is especially true as children raised in these homes perpetuate what they learn as they enter society and the workforce.

A concerning consequence of fewer marriage relationships is a lower national birthrate and stalled population growth which plays a key role in a nation’s economic growth. Fewer people in the labor market means a smaller market i.e. fewer available goods and services and higher poverty rates. Is it any wonder that in the last decade the child limit in China has increased dramatically from one to three? An especial reason to champion marriage and childbearing is that as baby boomers continue to retire, the ratio between working Americans and retired Americans will shrink, inflicting heavier tax burdens on workers upon whom programs like social security and Medicare depend for funding.

Forming my own family with a strong marriage and children has become a priority for me. In part this is because the most natural and effective way for a person wanting to improve their own quality of their life as well as the quality of living in society is to commit oneself in an equally yoked marriage relationship under which they raise their children.

4/23/22

Many people seem offended by the kind of wealth that Elon Musk can use as disposable income. Are they right to be? Is the existence of a huge disparity in wealth a problem for American culture?

That a person has significantly more wealth than others is hardly enough reason to be offended by them. It has a similar flavor to taking offense from Kevin Durant or Yo-Yo Ma because of their uncommonly virtuoso athletic and music skills. The filthy rich do not have a monopoly on greed and jealousy. Middle- and lower-income Americans are just as capable of greed as wealthier Americans, and offense at someone’s wealth may easily be a product of that greed.

The disparity of wealth is not as concerning to me as the level of poverty that exists. And I’m not convinced that one causes the other. A culture that focuses on lifting the poor is far more constructive than one focused on leveling the rich. I certainly believe in individual responsibility and that persons with fortunes like Elon Musk’s should naturally feel inclined to use those fortunes to help others in need. At the same time, they should not be compelled by politicians or society as to how they spend their disposable income. Such compelling is a threat to free market capitalism. For Elon Musk, an $11 billion tax obligation is obligation enough.

4/29/22

Responding to Covid, American colleges increasingly relied upon remote learning, and, once in place, these distance learning courses are proving hard to halt. Is this move towards online classes for traditional college education a good trend?

As long as online classes supplement in-classroom learning without completely replacing it. For decades, colleges across the nation have been grappling for innovative ideas to provide an education fit for the 21st century. The COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed a major change which had long been overdue. A couple cautious semesters proved that full time remote learning is too much. But a healthy diet of remote or semi-remote courses along with traditional in-person classes can provide both an institution and its students valuable flexibility without extinguishing precious social interaction.

Before the pandemic, my undergraduate university, which primarily offered on campus courses, had as a goal to increase the student population by 5,000. One idea discussed was to put a floor on the number of remote learning credits required to graduate. This would relax the strain on physical facilities and faculty saving space, time, and money. This requirement would also offer students classes in which they could watch lectures on their own time and wherever they wanted. If they worked their schedule right, they could spend a whole semester somewhere other than physically at the university and still be a full-time student. All students would take more online classes, but they still would be able to have the traditional and valuable college experience of connecting with others through resident learning.

While remote learning may not be for everyone, it certainly is for some. It affords more flexibility for learning, and what better word better describes the 21st century than “flexibility”?

10/18/22

Cheating has recently been suspected in chess, poker, math competitions and even a fishing tournament. Is cheating on the rise in colleges? And what should we do about it?

Study websites like Chegg have made answers to homework and exam questions readily accessible to any and all students. That along with remote/take-home exams becoming increasingly common has led to a rise in cheating. This increase in academic dishonesty is disheartening, but it does exploit old-fashioned educational norms which should be reformed as technology advances. A skill under-appreciated by many educators yet highly valuable in the 21st century is finding solutions to difficult problems by “googling”.

At least in STEM courses, too many professors fault students who use the internet for help with difficult homework questions. These professors wrongfully claim that leaning on others’ solutions does not allow for learning. It is appropriate for professors to administer exams with strict restrictions so as to test a student’s knowledge, and to punish those who step outside the bounds placed. But, with a few exceptions, using all existing resources should be permitted and encouraged for students with homework assignments and projects.

While true that the student who -without care for learning- simply submits what they find online will not really benefit from completing assignments, a dedicated student will use critical reading and thinking skills as they surf the web, thus internalizing class material as well as sharpening the evermore important skill of googling. Speaking from experience, the two students may receive similar marks on homework assignments, but come exam day there will be a clear separation of the wheat from the tares.

10/25/22

This summer, to much congratulation from environmentalists, California enacted rules that would ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars by 2035. Are electric cars actually the future? Should they be?

At first glance, the rules banning gas-powered cars don’t seem like they’ll have a long shelf life. It would spell industrial disaster unless within 12 years road/parking infrastructure can account for the added weight and charging of many electric vehicles, increasingly large volumes of electricity can be produced (which it better be clean, otherwise the new rules are for naught), and batteries can be reinvented to last longer and charge faster. And frankly none of the above will be useful unless electric cars are in HIGH demand. Like I said, a short shelf life seems likely. If however the demand is there, than a 12 year revolution is very possible.

Virtually everyone agrees that cleaner technology is better technology, and bigger steps than ever are being taken in that direction. The electric vehicle industry may be infantile at the moment, but if Elon Musk is right “Tesla is recession proof” and so may be other electric vehicles. When the customer base grows large enough, modern history shows that suppliers tend to approach the customer where they are. This was seen in the 1960s with space exploration,

12/20/22

What are your holiday traditions? What brings you joy this holiday season?

As a child, the holiday traditions that I most looked forward to were those which were calculated to benefit me. Every fall, my siblings and I would draw a name from a hat to determine who got a gift for whom -always I had my fingers crossed that an older/more well to do sibling drew my name. We always went sledding at a nearby hill at the first snow which if luck was on our side was a snow day. And my mother would make several batches of delicious pecan log rolls. These and other traditions were capped on Christmas day when we would wake up early to a room of presents!

Today I still love the traditions that made little me so giddy but have found that I care less for presents and sweets with my name on them. More recently, I find joy during this season as I reach out and serve others and as I focus more on the Baby whose birth Christmas celebrates. Doing either inevitably causes me to do the other.

One childhood tradition which I’ve tried to continue since moving away is to gather a group of friends and sing carols at the doors of people facing the holiday season alone or with some disappointment. Newer traditions for me include donating simple goods to local charities or writing personalized notes to family and friends whom I see little of. It’s in traditions of service that I find the most joy during the holiday season!

12/27/22

What changes do you expect in 2023? What lessons were learned in 2022? Will the new year be better or worse than the past few years have been?

When it comes to stating my expectations for the future, I consider words of wisdom from the Oracle of Omaha. “Forecasts may tell you a great deal about the forecaster; they tell you nothing about the future.” In 2022, those who expected the unexpected would have been less surprised when the UK changed PM twice, Elon Musk bought Twitter, and countless other falsely predicted events occurred. Those who didn’t, learned that a good rule of thumb is to withhold stock from many “expert” forecasts.

Rather than bank on what we believe the future will bring, 2022 taught us to carefully consider what those beliefs say about us as individuals and as a civilization. If Mr. Buffet is correct, whatever I predict for 2023 will probably not occur. But hopefully my predictions are reflective of a person who chooses hope and optimism over fear and doubt.

My expectations for 2023? More people will tend towards introspection before judgment. Nations around the globe will take key steps in liberating their people and joining the free world. The world economy will not dip into an expected recession. And BYU will shock the nation by winning the Big 12 football championship!

1/10/23

Do you plan on buying a home in the future? Is homeownership important to you or are there advantages to renting? Is it possible to buy a home?

A year ago I came close. That says a lot considering my wages are those of a graduate student. After meeting with lenders, making visits with realtors, and reassessing my budget I was in position to take the leap. The year before last I discovered the sweet freedom of renting a place without roommates making the added freedom of owning over renting difficult to resist. Sure it’s nice that my landlord fixes leaks and replaces broken fuses. But what are those tasks when I get to choose the color of the walls and where to place the nail for hanging a picture?

The fact that I, a full-time student with a full-time student income, was in a position where buying a home was possible convinces me that homeownership is a status still available to those who prioritize it. Houses may cost more than they used to, but much of the reason they’re hard to afford is a societal shift in spending priorities. Traveling and eating out are examples of expensive interests which in recent decades have soared in importance. Cut those out of a budget and soon a savings account with enough for a down-payment won’t be out of reach.

Ultimately my eventual graduation and likely move from the state changed my mind on home buying. Not to mention I wanted to eat out more and visit Europe in 2022. Upon graduation and landing a stable job, however, buying a home will almost certainly top my to-do list.