On January 1st we ring out the old year and ring in a new one. It’s strange how all of a sudden, we sixty-something and older folks have been doing this for decades. It is practically unthinkable the changes we have seen in our lifetimes. Technology has come to all our lives as if a bolt of lightning came down from the heavens and electrified the nuts and bolts of our existence. There was a time in my lifetime when there wasn’t a TV in most homes and if there was it only received one or two channels. Imagine, the radio was the leading way to get the news. There were also those printed newspapers.
I would guess moving forward in 2023, the future will still be about energy. Perhaps, the quest will be how the planet will create a fuel to provide us all with electricity to keep us moving forward, efficiently and safely and somewhat inexpensively. Maybe, in the near future cell phones will never have to be charged. Imagine gasoline becoming as trivial as whale oil has now become. There was a time when whale oil was a huge energy source to light homes. The need for whale oil turned Sag Harbor into one of the busiest ports in the world. I am not sure when the last whale was brought into Sag Harbor to be boiled and harvested? Most likely a really long time ago.
So what is next, as in the next year 2023? I can’t predict the future, but I can make educated guesses. One guess is slowly but surely cable TV as in a direct cable line to homes will become a less favorable option as steaming wireless options grow. No doubt Elon Musk and his satellites hopefully will be making cell towers and direct land cable wiring obsolete. That would be great news for the east end.
What about new solar products like solar powered cell phones and other similar devices? I bet that technology already exists in some Apple lab. Imagine never having to charge your cell phone!
As for medicine, it’s hard to believe it’s been a few years now since the pandemic paralyzed the world. I don’t see a cure for cancer happening anytime soon, but I do see folks living longer with cancer. I personally had both my parents die from cancer. Hopefully, something may happen to tame those cancer cells that are killing way too many people at the present time. Sadly, in 2022 the life expectancy went down yet again, to 76.4 years. According to N.P.R. that is the lowest in nearly two decades! Twenty years ago, when I was a Financial Representative for The Northwestern Mutual Insurance Company, they were worried about too many people living well into their nineties and running out of money.
I suppose in 2023 some new younger leadership will be arriving on the national scene. It’s still hard to believe that when he was elected President back in November 1960, John F. Kennedy was only 43 years old. Perhaps someone of that age will come onto the national political stage in 2023 and start a campaign that will propel him or her into the White House in 2024.
As for me, I am hoping the sailing season of 2023 will be as glorious as 2022. As of now, I am physically capable of putting as many hours out in Gardiner’s Bay as I have for the last 20 years. It does get tougher every year jumping around the boat. When I am out on the water sailing I do feel younger, more alive, and healthier! Yet the moment I step onto the dock I again feel my age.
Before the Covid pandemic, I welcomed in the New Year at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor with my wife and friends. We are still not ready to do that this December 31st. Maybe by the end of 2023, we will feel it’s safe enough to get out and party again. I am wishing everyone a best year for 2023.
