OPM music in Filipino heard and appreciated all over the world.

When people speak of what they want to see in their lifetime, it is certainly easier for younger people to state what they want. That’s because older people do not have the luxury of time and so they find it hard to believe changes can happen that quickly. But then, I have seen with my own eyes how quickly change can happen. The speed of change is so much quicker now so making a list at my age does not have to be something less ambitious. Defying time and probability, here is a list of 30 things I would like to see in my ever-shortening lifetime.

1. A Philippines comprised of at least 70 percent middle class who have jobs, careers, eat three meals a day; men and women who are educated and with purchasing power.

2. The end of all terrorism in the world.

3. Full rights accorded to all minority groups in the world including LGBT, people of color, women, persons with disabilities, etc.

4. An end to all armed conflicts.

5. A more open and liberated Catholic Church that will allow women and gays to become priests. A Church that will allow priests to marry.

6. The solution to traffic everywhere.

7. A greater, higher level of spiritual consciousness where people will see more of their connectivity to each other and not be divided by faith, nationality, gender, or ethnicity.

8. OPM music in Filipino heard and appreciated all over the world.

9. A cure for Alzheimer’s and many other diseases.

10. At least five Filipino winners of the Nobel Prize in different fields.

11. More solar-powered cars, homes and even cities.

12. A resurgence of common sense, rationality and logic and the end of mass idiocy and intolerance.

13. A turnaround in our fight against global warming.

14. The end of death penalty everywhere.

15. A much greater respect and support for the arts, and proper compensation for those who create it.

16. Kids growing up without gadgets until they reach 11 years old.

17. Mankind finally meeting aliens from outer space. (I hope the aliens are more enlightened and more intelligent than we are.)

18. A Middle East that is so safe and peaceful that many of its cities become great tourist sites.

19. More people living off of the electric power grid and becoming completely independent from fossil-fueled power plants.

20. I hope to see everyone in the world commit to performing acts of love and kindness on a daily basis directed not just to people we already love but to strangers and even people we do not agree with.

21. The end of all visas and the advent of unrestricted travel and migration in many parts of the world.

22. That every product made in the world can be recycled after use.

23. I hope scientists find a way to lessen the pull of gravity to help older people cope better. Yes, I am serious.

24. Driverless cars being commonly used.

25. Celebrating my birthday in one of the Spratly islands.

26. Self-cleaning houses.

27. Legalization of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes.

28. The disappearance of the need to buy guns.

29. The greening of the Philippines to the extent that we become carbon neutral or even negative.

30. That human rights and due process become truly universal.