We have entered the first quarter of this century. This has given me helpful ideas for all sorts of beginnings. Some of them I have already started, but there are a few that I want to keep going for a long time. As a project for this month, I plan to leave a time capsule for the next quarter.
Actually, I was going to write this before New Year's Eve, but since it might be similar to New Year's resolutions, I decided to tackle it at the beginning of 2025. It's better that way.
The time capsule or box, whatever you want to call it, is undoubtedly an interesting and exciting subject. We all wanted to do it when we were kids, and maybe some of us did. I can partly sympathise with this, as some of my tucked away toys have occasionally turned up.
However, I've never got round to making a fancy one, and I'd like this month to be a turning point in that respect.
Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash
The strange thing is that all the things that came to mind were the things I would have put in it if I had made it in the past. When I thought about the variety of physical objects in my life, I realised how much it had diminished. I no longer had all kinds of toys. Many physical goods have also lost their value and are now scarce.
The reason for analysing this was the thought that if I want to leave things twenty-five years from now, they must have value/meaning in the present sense.
The first things that come to mind, such as CDs, walkmans, video tapes, playing cards, magazines, etc., belong to twenty-five years ago. It would be pointless to send them again. But I couldn't think of anything to replace them with. Have my purchases diminished, or is it the value I place on what I have? We cannot go into the future empty-handed, can we?
Let me answer my question without going into detail. Yes, I had noticed a decrease in my purchases. Of course, this did not mean that I valued my purchases more. However, what I noticed was that my purchases became uniform and continuous/regular. For example, the different toys I used to play with were replaced by books. Although I buy books regularly, I do not read them regularly enough to value them.
In fact, I have two nostalgia boxes, but they are like sections of the points that have influenced my life so far. Yes, in this project we don't necessarily have to include the elements that describe the year 2025, but I couldn't see the logic of moving the things I mentioned there.
Then another question came to my mind. I thought it would be appropriate to adapt the idea of "If I were preparing this twenty-five years ago, what would I put in it?" to the present, and to act with a simple categorisation.
Even though I don't buy newspapers and magazines, I thought it might be useful to buy them for this purpose. They can provide a multifaceted comparison of events, what has happened, product prices, words used, exchange rate differences, climate changes. Newspapers may no longer be a part of many of our lives, but that does not mean they do not exist. There are still places where they are active.
On the other hand, a passport photo also works very well. It allows us to see personal changes in the same way. As I have kept at least one of every passport photo I have ever taken, it seems logical to use them all. However, it has probably been 4-5 years since I took a new one. Here's another excuse for me to get a new one.
Banknotes and coins should definitely be included. When choosing these items, I have always found it right to ask the question: “Was it different 25 years ago so that it would be different later?” This adds value to the choice.
Photo by Sara Kurfeß on Unsplash
These are materials that document the present or the moment. Of course, there is also the technological aspect. Most of them can be stored on a USB stick. Whether that makes you feel nostalgic is debatable. But we are talking about 2050, perhaps the presence of USBs will have the same effect as receiving a letter. Couldn't it? It could be.
We need artistic and cultural elements now. Remember, they can all fit on a USB, but our human side finds physical objects more attractive. So you might want to include your favourite book (or digital copy) that you are reading. Maybe you like to draw and want to keep your paints with you. If playing or listening to music is one of your favourite activities, it's time to make a list of “Songs I'm Sending to the Year 2050”. You can even write them down on a piece of paper.
Let's delve a little deeper into science and technology. I don't know how many years ago it was, but when I asked my father, he suggested that I cut out newspaper clippings and file them. I thought technological and scientific developments would be the most interesting subject, but unfortunately it didn't take long. So my project was quickly over. However, when I take them out and read them from time to time, I am amazed at how simple the discoveries and developments are. Of course, the way the news is presented to the public in the newspaper can also be simplified. But this does not change the reality.
Some interesting scientific articles, some photographs (new celestial bodies, visualisation of a black hole, reflections from newly developed telescopes, views from planets, etc.), some interesting statistics and data prepared will also be a sweet touch for the curious. Perhaps preparing these together with your child/friend will make the process more fun and informative. Another suggestion is to include some maps to follow the changing borders. Given what is happening in the world, 25 years is a very long time.
Photo by Eric Prouzet on Unsplash
We will send it there, but what can happen by then? I liked this idea and it also seems to be a way to stimulate research and thinking. If you want to make broad predictions, some topics like transport, climate, technological changes, our interaction with the planets can help you. I am sure you will come up with much better ideas.
Of course, the most important part is your personal contribution. Be sure to write a letter. More than one. Write to yourself, to someone else, to the you of that day, to your grandchildren who do not yet exist. While you are doing this, take photos and record your video. In this way you will have dealt with it from all angles, written, audio and visual. It's nice to have black and white photos of the elders, but it wouldn't be bad if we could at least hear their voices and read about their feelings, would it? It is best to use ours when we have the opportunity.
If you say you are going to do it at the end of this year, you can add things that have affected you during the year and record memories. Maybe there is someone who helped you create this box. Then add a piece of them too. Years later you will have another excuse to get in touch with them because of that piece. We made so many excuses to make this box. But I think that is part of the fun. Remember that lesson you (and many people disliked) struggled through at primary school? Well, at least no one will be grading it, you can do whatever you want.
Maybe you put a secret there, objects that will make you happier when the moment comes, or maybe things you never want to forget... Twenty-five years later, life will have changed for us at least two or three more times, and I am sure that whatever we put there, we will be grateful to ourselves for having done so. Think about it now: How many memories from twenty-five years ago are left in your life?
Comments