I hate to tell you this now-But I gotta point out we are NEVER going to regain a strong middle class

[Selatius]

16. It is hard to conceptualize a life where work isn't the primary motivator to waking up.

I think the ultimate end of technology is the automation of most everything we do that is necessary to survival. Imagine the process of growing and distributing food being fully automated. Imagine many things being automated to that degree. Hunger and disease could be eliminated with that level of resources and energy at our disposal. Homelessness, too.

The hope is that people would have time to do other things like bettering themselves, learning about other cultures, finding hobbies, things that enrich ourselves and the people and world around us. We could learn to stop hating each other. We would have the time to understand that greed, the need to accumulate things, isn't the ultimate goal of living.

Of course, I don't think any of that is possible. We lack the energy sources to have a society where survival functions are automated to that level. If we ever found a source of energy that is far and away more plentiful than what we currently use, it might be doable one day.