September 6, 2124

Dear Hannah,

It feels surreal to write to you like this, knowing how different things were just a century ago. I can’t imagine how you’d react if you saw our world today—some of it would amaze you, and some might leave you shaking your head. So, sit back, grab a cup of that artisanal coffee you love, and let me tell you what’s been going on.

First off, you’d love this: the hover-trains are as common as bicycles were in your time. Can you believe we don’t even have railroads anymore? I can travel from my city, Solis Heights, to the coast in less than ten minutes, floating silently above the forests. Oh, and speaking of forests, those have made a huge comeback, thanks to rewilding tech. I think you’d enjoy the concept—bioengineered trees that absorb carbon at ten times the normal rate. Imagine your backyard garden but on a planetary scale! The air here smells like it’s been freshly washed after a rainstorm, crisp and clean, every day.

But it’s the social stuff that would really catch you off guard. Relationships have gotten… well, I think simpler but also more complicated? We’ve moved beyond the old constructs, at least in most places. People can now “quantum sync” with each other’s neural patterns—don’t worry, it’s not invasive, just an emotional scan—so we never have to guess what someone’s feeling. You can choose to connect more deeply or stay distant, and it’s consensual, of course. It’s solved some issues in communication, but there’s still the question of privacy. You’d appreciate the debate: where do we draw the line between being fully transparent with each other and keeping a little mystery alive?

Oh, and I have to mention the “synthetic pause,” which is the latest thing people are doing. You remember how back in your time, meditation and mindfulness were the trends? Now, people take what we call a “synthetic pause,” essentially freezing their biological processes for short periods. It allows the mind to drift into alternate dreamscapes or even visit simulated realities. I took my first one last month—it was like dreaming in a whole new dimension, and the best part? I came back feeling like I’d been on vacation for a week, but only a few minutes had passed in the real world. People use it to escape stress, but I still prefer a good walk in the wild reserves.

I know you’d ask about food, so let me tell you: most of it is printed now. We have these nano-synthetes that assemble meals from the molecular level. You could “print” a croissant and it would taste as buttery and flaky as one fresh from an old Parisian bakery, though I know you’d say something about the soul of handmade food. A few of us purists still cook the old-fashioned way—I’ve kept your recipe for spicy lentil stew, and every now and then, I make it, just for nostalgia’s sake.

But not everything’s a utopia. There’s something eerie about how connected we are, yet how often people choose solitude. Imagine having the ability to communicate with anyone, anywhere, instantly, and yet seeing people retreat into their own curated digital worlds, ignoring the tactile reality of life. It’s like the more advanced we get, the more some of us crave silence.

And here’s a bit of irony: for all our tech, we’ve started to reintroduce “slow” things—handwritten letters (yes, I’m serious), live performances, physical books—like we need the reminder that we’re still human, still fragile. I’ve been thinking a lot about balance lately, something you always told me was important.

Anyway, I’ll sign off here. It’s funny—I could’ve just sent you this as a neural pulse, and you would’ve received it in an instant, but I thought you’d appreciate the old-fashioned way. There’s something about writing, about taking the time to form thoughts slowly, that feels… grounding.

Miss you always, my friend. If only we could share a cup of coffee together. Maybe one day, with the way things are going.

Love always,

Ben