The future will be different. The future will be better. In 2009, there will be playgrounds and water parks on the roofs. School will only be on weekends and no school on weekdays. All cars will be flying. Children will drive cars. In 2009, there will never be homework; well, actually, robots will do our homework, so no stress. Basically, in 2009, the world will be different-even closer to being ideal.

Back in 1999, I was in fourth grade. We had a homework assignment: describe what the future will be like.

And the above is an excerpt. Looking back on that, certainly I had a wild imagination. I still have that imagination. I think about the future and about what is possible, and some of my thoughts seem unbelievable.

But now, living in the 21st century, I realize that there is something very special about this century compared to what I recall from the 1990s. I admit, we can’t fly around the whole world in cars, but still there is something special. Sitting in one place, we can communicate with the entire world. Literally.

Take YouTube.

On YouTube, you can upload a video and the world can watch. It seems ordinary to regular users, but it is not. My parents are still intrigued by it. How is it possible to see videos from India? And listen to music on a computer without a CD? And viewers are able to comment on the videos? YouTube was unimaginable to my parents.

Take Facebook.

It seems like everyone has a Facebook profile. Through my parents’ eyes, Facebook is absolutely phenomenal. You can be friends with people throughout the world and keep in touch with them. My parents lost many friendships because of a lack of communication and change of phone numbers after moving to the United States.

Through Facebook, we are powerful; we can rekindle an inside joke; we can chat with friends; and we can enjoy the idea that, hopefully, we will never feel lonely. Facebook was unimaginable to my parents.

Take the iPhone.

It seems like you can do anything on the iPhone. You have access to Internet, music, pictures, texting and the list goes on and on. The size is small and convenient. And surprisingly, the cost is within reach for most people, which has increased its prevalence in society. The iPhone was unimaginable to my parents.

When my parents were young, they imagined a future with few exaggerations. But, some of those exaggerations have been invented and are used commonly.

My point is this: Don’t think that ideas, technologies and beliefs are unimaginable. Since there was nothing like YouTube, Facebook or the iPhone, my parents didn’t know the potential of what could be. Now, we are in the position my parents were in.

Don’t limit yourself by thinking that it is impossible because it has never been done before. Who knows, maybe there will be robots to complete our tasks.

That’s what this century is about (or at least this column): Take a “you”-turn. Look back on your life and make sure you are not limiting yourself. Take a step out of your comfort zone and empower yourself.

Think the unimaginable, do the unimaginable, be the unimaginable.

Samiksha Tarun is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences.