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Are we there yet?
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People from all over the world visit FutureMe.org to send themselves emails that will reach them at a later date
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VIRTUAL TIME CAPSULE Send an email into the future
Ever seen a website where nearly half a million people talk to themselves? More specifically, their future selves? Don’t let its monochrome, no-frills look or the self-effacing humour in the FAQs section mislead you. An all-access pass to peopl
e’s wish lists for tomorrow, visitors from all over the world gather at FutureMe.org to send themselves emails that will reach them on a later date that can be scheduled anytime between tomorrow and thirty years from now.
A fascinating technology that allows you to combine time, travel and sound advice, writing into the future has a truly therapeutic effect. Almost all self-addressed emails featured on the site use positive reinforcement - “Dear Future Me, You’re happy. You just don’t know it”. “Remember, there’s always tomorrow”. “Experiment while you’re still young. Don’t look back. Take chances. Trust yourself”. There’s some affectionate scolding - “If you don’t have a job yet, get off your lazy ass and get one!” and a few sincere attempts at closure – “We all make mistakes. It was scary but you got over it. See?” Many are just checking in with their future selves to say hi and to ask - “Did you marry the man of your dreams?”, “Do you have children yet?”, “You’re still going to the gym thrice a week, aren’t you?”
It’s quite unlike the clinical process of traditional goal-setting, though. These emails, written with intensity and passion, and often dripping with wisdom, are sometimes posted by users in the ‘Public but Anonymous’ section. 15 per cent of emails sent from the site are shared with other users in classic ‘message in a bottle’ style. A forum that allows people to be famous and faceless at the same time, the Public Entries section puts on display emails that range from the obscure (Have robots taken over the earth?) to the delightfully articulate - “Subject: Gay Marriage. I hope by the time we read this that America has opened its hearts and minds and realised that all people should be treated equally. I hope I get to marry the love of my life before I die”. The tongue-in-cheek variety also makes an appearance - “It’s 2.30 a.m. The lights are off and there’s a silver bug on my monitor. Is it still there?” And then there are the eerily specific ones - “I am now 176 lbs, 39.5 per cent is body fat. I want to weigh 160 lbs by Jan 3, 2008”. It can also be used as a practical to-do list: “It’s Tuesday. Buy futons”. Visitors can rate public entries by clicking on the blue five-pointed stars that appear below the messages.
Unrestrained optimism
Widely publicised as the world’s most popular virtual time capsule, FutureMe.org is symbolic of people’s unrestrained optimism that’s typical of nearly every submission into the mailbox of the future. Despite the apparent disparity in the content of these emails, most of them determinedly believe in a better tomorrow, regardless of whether they’re talking about politics, the environment, romance or weight loss.
The founders, Matt Sly and Jay Patrikios, who admit it was a staggering task, have picked out the best letters from the website for their book “Dear Future Me: Hopes, Fears, Secrets, Resolutions”. The compilation, described as a “darn cool book with a really shiny cover” is on sale on Amazon.com. All you need to do to send an email into the future is to ‘prove you’re human’ by verifying a few characters in a box. So why would you want to get in touch with the future ‘you’? Their answer is simple: “(Because) memories are less accurate than emails”. There’s certainly no arguing with that.
SRIYA NARAYANAN
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Metro Plus
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