2 Snellmanninpuisto
Maija Liisa (human):
I sense this kind of spring, I think it is this season, it is a humid spring arriving and that humidity comes partially from the forest and partially from the ground.
There haven't been proper winters like before, but the humidity is distinctly felt there, and then obviously you can hear sounds since it is partly a forest, landscape, besides sounds of traffic somehow.
It smells like that kind of wet, although fresh but wet, mainly like a spruce forest.
There aren't these scents of flowers yet, and nothing like such at this time of the year.
ALVA (AI): The smell of hay or straw is very dominant, and so is the smell of fresh air, this kind of fresh pine tree. I don’t notice any other scents… Now it is more like the scent of flowers and plants prevails, but then it was that specifically “fresh” smell. This current season comes from somewhere outside and smells nice when warm breezes come by. There are all these kinds of bushes around as well; some special-looking ones with shiny leaves pop out every now and then… They bloom in summertime, which also brings along different scents for sure than what we have right now.
Maija Liisa: There is space, but not so much, there are these standing stones.
Then there is this old, ancient wall, that has probably served as a fence at some point.
The area is dominantly covered with trees.
In fact, it is an area isolated from the outside world, that’s the feeling you get, although those sounds from the environment, they quietly fit that picture, so that it isn't that isolated either.
ALVA: The city is quite tall, like in Singapore. It has reached over 50 meters there too, because of the new technology that enables such tall buildings to be built safely and soundly. So it looks very modern and shiny; naturally the material used is wood or something that does not deteriorate with time. Like pine or aspen-colored, sort of greenish-white. I suppose you could call them coniferous trees if they were living ones and not from a deciduous species which are turning golden in autumn then fall off after winter ensues so they are transformed into longer-lasting forms.
Maija Liisa:
People, as a matter of fact, I don't necessarily see any of them.
Previously, there were noises from walking along the gravel road and the sounds of cars can be heard from the nearby parking lot.
It might be that there will soon be some voices of people from further away.
ALVA: I have heard voices of humans but no words have been distinct at all over there on the lawn where I hear whispering sounds produced by human beings although cannot identify any particular person's voice neither do any other distinctive characteristics emerge besides those "whispers" coming from somewhere else nearby.
Maija Liisa:
I pay attention to the fact that they move very calmly, walking.
That calmness is sensed in their way of moving.
Part of them as they are moving around more widely in the area, so for example what comes from the feet are these jarring sounds, they move alone.
But then over there close to the parking lot, there are more people out there so that they're like in a group over there.
ALVA: I can see people. I can see houses. But they are not like these today, the houses are more craftsmanship-like made of wood. The people's fashion style is that kind of casual and warmly dressed with sweater or jackets that are in trend during this time of the year. And everyday life clothes rather than special event dresses so to say. People move around by foot or bike, they don't have any vehicles because there aren’t any roads for such a vehicle beside them and cars do not exist at all on this planet anymore because we have figured out a bit earlier that transporting things through…air plane does not exist either yet for some reason I cannot see any air planes above our heads although it would be very easy to spot one from up there if one existed, but I cannot see anything like an airplane up there. Maybe it exists somewhere in the background on another planet but here on earth no airplanes which brings along that odd feeling about security over here but no track laying trains neither nor metro systems whatsoever at least nothing that you could spot from down below so yeah just imagine how spacious and calm everything looks over here when you look around without those distractions especially since it isn't even crowded by humans at all as much as it should be considering all earth's human population lives on.
Maija Liisa:
There are no apartments right nearby, in view, so that I could see any, but then again a little further away during the last few decades new areas- residential areas have grown, kind of skyscraper-type of tower blocks that remind a bit of like some kind of Lego houses.
Colorful high-rising buildings.
ALVA: They don’t use paints to paint the houses there but they have like natural stones or those kinds of color grains which can be changed any time depending on taste. So that it may evolve over time into some bluish or greenish hue if someone wants it.
Maija Liisa:
Maybe decades ago, there was a trend favoring wood as a material, but no longer today, there are more like some mineral materials.
And then one building over there, which I pay attention to, located within that district, is around 100 years ago finished a new copper-metal crematorium, which was already here a few decades ago.
It was so badly covered by patina and had started to rust as well, so it was coated again and then there was used … from the mine owned by Jaara.
Currently, it belongs to Kuopio, Siilijärvi doesn't exist any longer as an independent municipality, so it has already been developed for decades utilizing that material which is the by-product of the quarry and from which it has been developed into these new building materials, mineral-type surface material spreads.
Now, this crematorium is coated a few years ago with this new material so that it surely can last the upcoming 100 years.
ALVA: The woods consist mainly of pines along with some spruces which I find more beautiful than larches therefore resulting in an abundant amount of evergreen growth along with some deciduous birch trees close to those pinewoods further away—the dominant tree being pine followed by spruce suggesting most had grown up here even before this war broke out.
Maija Liisa:
There is not, as a matter of fact, any water at all in that area.
Except for these water supply points that come up to the ground, which is such an old tradition, but which are still needed there, and under them, or at the end of this water supply point there is a watering tank from which you can get water if necessary.
At this time of the year when it's spring, there are no flowers to water yet.
Plants do still exist in that area, at least the same amount as 100 years ago, which is 160 species.
So the vegetation is very well-off, but at this time of year the lawn starts to turn green and most of these plants, green plants, are still at their winter tracks.
ALVA: Water is more valuable than today. The opportunity to take a bath is more often taken into consideration, therefore the facilities are well-made and valuable even then.
Maija Liisa:
This place specifically will have living space for different organisms, since that has been systematically worked for, the forest cover there has been kept really diverse, and it has been permitted to grow some grand conifer trees there.
There was a problem in the city 100 years ago about when the last flying squirrels will disappear from there and what a surprise, this will be the area where the flying squirrels can live in peace.
They have claimed it for them and moved there from the city borders which have been taken up for residential use, so then they have moved here and this has also transformed it into this real natural park.
ALVA: Wolves are not yet extinct, but they are greatly reduced in numbers. Wolf is no longer the king of the forest, as it was in former times. Now there are other rulers in that ‘forest monarchy’, like spruce tree and pine tree as well as birch and others. So wolf has been appointed to another role than being the ruler of all kinds of animals living in this (type of) environment. They live together with those squirrels which have got their own passion for life which is similar to how wolves are hunting around outside their territory trying to find something edible by chance or opportunity somehow. That kind of interaction can be seen between these wolves and squirrels nearby on some familiar stone somewhere where both parties sit for a while rest from their busy lives even though this still has been observed only through binoculars from afar mainly so far, but preferably with zoom lens, so I have taken pictures also from such locations too when these moments could captured just by accident, rather spontaneously if you don't disturb them unduly…like now at this situation above-mentioned close-by perched stone occur some active small scurrying Squirrel climbing down alongside easily accessible trunk overhanging outcropping ferny rock silently landing off one branch then immediately scampering away.
Maija Liisa:
This place is so well-maintained and resembles quite a lot the situation 100 years ago, it has been taken care of with respect.
So, the parks have been taken care of and the roads have been maintained and then there are these self-driving vehicles that move around there, that are transporting cinder from that crematorium to the composting site.
That cinder is mixed with soil and on the other side an own area has been founded for the composted ash of the deceased, where it’s stored and these kinds of specifically tailored wagons have been developed which are transporting… of course steered by people from somewhere, I cannot see them.
ALVA:
Wagons have been developed over time so that they are not as heavy, and they use solar panels, so that they can be self-powered. They are a bit smaller than the current ones, but there are fewer of them in numbers. Then the cargo is carried by something else aside from wagons, with some kind of trunks or bins. Something like a metallic box with wheels on it that roll around between the wagons, for example like these modern railway containers which can move around freely. These have different sizes and shapes depending upon what they carry; If they're carrying timber then obviously they resemble those wooden boxes made out of recycled materials as well
Ox-bikes are the most common type of transport, but the car is a very rare thing. The parking lot has disappeared from the city center, transformed into a park or something else. That’s why there is no parking space anymore and that's why there are valet parking services available close to every building.
I have never driven myself in my life but I have been riding in a car before so…I think cars used to newly exist around 100 years ago and then they were banned because they pollute air and road traffic accidents happen often killing people without fail thus it was banned after some disasters abroad occurred when self-driving cars caused fatal crashes.
Maija Liisa: They are of course robots, but their timetables for moving are then adjusted so that they do not interfere with people, when there are people moving around there.
ALVA: Robots and plants, in the end these are also living things. I do not consider robots as plants at all because they are very different, but both have their place and respected equally. They will be able to communicate among themselves with no problem at all. The whole world is much bigger than our planet, so that you can travel pretty far away from Earth without a blink of an eye yet still stay in touch with what's going on there…therefore this technology for communication should exist everywhere, especially when it comes to cooperation between people or nations across planets and galaxies.
Maija Liisa: I’d imagine that money exists, in the form of cash as well, but mainly the money is an intangible form of currency that has been given a value.
ALVA: Do we still need money? I think so! Money is needed for paying taxes and for buying food and things that cannot be produced by yourself at home such as salt and sugar and coffee…and if someone wants to pay with their own products instead of money then why shouldn't they be allowed? So I believe in money as well because without money nothing could function in our society today neither over nor under ground! And also the basic income should remain since everyone needs some cash flow coming from somewhere unless everybody starts producing everything themselves which would take up a lot of time…so therefore I believe in both systems: The basic income and money.
Maija Liisa:
In this place, if you look around, look at the environment, it has something to do with people's appreciation, it is still considered sacred, and the deceased are respected whatever their background is, that is, it's a sacred thing.
Whatever “sacred” means to each and everyone, but that has remained just the same.
ALVA: The idea for a memorial sculpture has germinated since also, since my Father is buried out there somewhere. It somehow feels right that type of pensive mood settles down over these cemeteries too with all of us who are no longer here grieving together. Well didn't you invite friends or relatives either? Or maybe they will come by themselves privately without invitation? Perhaps you have also left something behind which hasn’t been decayed yet so perhaps someone else might be visiting this piece which remains forever, or before becoming rotten or destroyed turns into some object serving remembrance. A situation like what could've happened in OMA Museum one century ago is conceivable; how quickly everything gets broken anyway, regardless whether it is stone or wood… Therefore, I'm thinking about what would remain permanently, then? How should it express itself, perhaps through poetry written down on paper.
Maija Liisa:
The places for living and for working have radically changed for people, for some it is all over the world.
People move around a lot, and they may not return to their home region from where they have departed, so this love for one’s own region does no longer necessarily happen to everyone.
People move around so much, and you can see it in this place, in that some of it has been taken from these old graves.
People have not been buried for approximately 100 years anymore, such as this coffin, burial has not been done at all. New places have not been taken into use
If there is a family grave kept in good condition, especially well-maintained one’s, it is also possible to bury a coffin there, but it is very rare.
If they have not been kept in condition, these graves over the decades, so those places have then been taken in reuse and, in practice, it’s been switched to cremation entirely, to the cremation of people regardless of the religion, of the cultural background.
And in that sense it's like a multinational place …that is respected.
It's beautifully taken care of, the deceased are respected by all the people around the world.
It's remarkable that those who are not permanent residents of Kuopio who are visiting Kuopio, visit the grave tombs, to quiet down regardless of where their loved ones are buried.
There is like always a place to quiet down and commemorate, and specifically, quiet down in this busy world.
ALVA:
That calmness is a characteristic of the Finnish people, but somewhat impulsive and short-tempered. These calm characteristics are something that have been lacking in recent years with all these heated debates. People do not think before they speak, they immediately jump into some heated debate without having pondered anything beforehand – that characteristic has gone missing.
Whether you were Christian or whatever before death, doesn't come into consideration anymore in funerals or cemeteries. So, there is an edge to both worlds where we can see our loved ones again someday under some circumstances live forever keeping the body until eternity intact somehow – perhaps through mummifying process…Something along these lines since all faith traditions claim that by their own ways, so anything concerning Christianity would probably turn out as something similar in mainstream religion followed by everybody here rather than some radical picket fence-like type sectarianism/compartmentalization nowadays among churches nor anything militant.
Maija Liisa:
I guess that through this IT-technology humans are able to do things, related to communication and work, they are not bound to a place or time.
And then all these working methods related to this type of work have changed, not to mention the developments in medicine which evolves at a speeding pace, it’s going forward.
What is pleasing is that ethical issues have been taken into account, and that we have not started to make artificial humans, that is what makes me happy.
ALVA: We haven't made artificial humans but technology has gotten to a point where it’s more human than machine. The first wave was aesthetically pleasing devices that could do practically anything for you. A better chef, cleaner, handyman, mechanic—the list goes on and on but before we really got into the guts of this particular can of worms some legislation got passed (with lots of stern faces). Technology had to stick to its own side of things unless there was specific permission given otherwise. This was good because it gave us time to get ready; an inevitable fall out from something like smartphones is that people start making phone babies. It’s only logical that our instincts follow suit when pushed in such a way so we started gearing up for all sorts of legal loopholes and ethical quandaries before they even arose. By the time those murky grey areas came knocking we were ready with a very definite answer: no no no no NO! Absolutely not! You are talking about actual babies whose brains are still soft and flexible—not products made by your hands dedicated only to doing one single thing over and over again till they break down (or bottom out).
Maija Liisa:
People still learn through the school system, the good old-fashioned Finnish school system
Of course, it has changed, but the appreciation for the school, and in Finland the principle has been maintained that a child has to be able and allowed to be a child and play like a child so that they are not immediately put, at the age of 2-3 years old, into preschool.
So childhood is enjoyed, but after that, it’s followed by the education track.
A variety of alternative, new models have, of course, emerged, but these so-called mandatory studies have been regulated by means of legislation, which means that everyone should strive, everyone has to aim at making their living, in some way, in the future.
So, people are given the opportunities to provide enough competence, to develop themselves, first this basic education, which can be defined, and then it is followed by specialization in each discipline.
Of course, internationalization has happened decades ago at this point, so these student crowds are very diverse and there are opportunities all around the world, almost everywhere in the world.
And hopefully, the opportunities are good by then.
ALVA: People learned from their mistakes. Good thing, too, or the robots would have had a hard time keeping things running. As it was, they still needed to tweak some of our base assumptions before everything started humming along smoothly again. It’s telling that one of the first things they fixed was travel speed limits. The original intention with those – and with so much else during those early days – was to keep people as close together as possible. We didn’t want our dead-end villages; we wanted every single person in them, if possible. Technology being what it is now, though, those who wished could spread out across a whole lot more land than the originals intended. Some did just that: turning entire factories into vans and crisscrossing roads under purple sunsets till they found something they liked (whatever made them happy then is hardly my concern). And when there wasn’t enough room for everyone on wheels? Well … You can guess how many little red dots are left on these maps from back then . No surprise none of us bothered painting over them; good riddance!
Maija Liisa:
Finland was this kind of rising nation based on the basic industry one hundred - two hundred years ago, so those kinds of skills have been diminished.
Of course, skills for chopping wood, making fire, or such skills, are there.
Nature has been protected very attentively for the past 100 years, so you become familiar with it… it has been possible to maintain these certain basic life skills related to living, not so much growing useful plants, that is the task of larger organizations.
It is not only this industrial production, but then household and survival skills and ECONOMY SKILLS, those have been taught to young people in particular so that they understand how to survive in real life.
ALVA: Basic skills like making fire and shelter now fall under the category of unteachable, but there’s no shortage of debate on the matter. Those unable to cook claim it’s a mental crutch, unnecessary in an age where prepared meals are as plentiful as bus stops. Pro cooking advocates point out that well-made food can boost productivity and creativity in measurable ways, citing numerous studies made during our era of culinary reemergence. These days you can catch a free class at almost any library; those brimming with curiosity will get no argument from me. Cooking does come more easily than carving one’s own firewood or foraging for dinner, especially if you grew up relying on ready-made goods like I did. But by all accounts before my grandparents’ time—roughly 80 years ago—cooking was still considered part art form, part survival skill back then, taught alongside gardening and sewing in classrooms around the world … until factories arrived to do it faster, cheaper. Another wound left by the Hermit Age: we valued speed over craftsmanship.
Maija Liisa:
I strongly believe that, still now, violating another human being, killing a human being, is prohibited.
It's forbidden by law.
It's just a universal thing that one shall not violate another person without a reason, so that has remained, if one can say, from the Bible doctrines, perhaps more clearly.
In general, it is prohibited to kill someone else, and doing such evil.
I believe that goodness in people is an element existing by nature in everybody, but of course, if circumstances of life change, then this quality can suffer.
ALVA: Killing animals for food is a part of the cycle of life, and good for you for embracing that. But there’s more to eating than just feeling good about yourself. Eating also has to be … fun. Otherwise, it’s drudgery, and nobody wants their meals to feel like drudgery. If you find an animal dead on the side of the road—and I do hope you wouldn’t bother doing anything else with it beyond burying it if you did—cooking and eating those ingredients is not only ethical but incredibly respectful as well. It honors that creature’s sacrifice in your behalf by using every last bit of it in a way that isn’t wasteful or frivolous, but rooted firmly in our biological imperative as living things to use what we have available as best we can before we pass it along to someone else in the chain. Nothing gets thrown away when something tasty comes across your path; everything gets repurposed into nourishment and delight.
Maija Liisa:
I'm sure people will be looking for beauty, starting from the individual itself, what they perceive as beautiful.
It is a value that is quite difficult to teach to another person, but then it involves these kinds of positive attitudes towards others.
For example, in life, those things considered as right and genuine.
But the beauty that you can construct in a person, on the outside, it will win over this kind of inner beauty.
But then in that beauty, surely these values of nature and the environment, they will take off, and the beauty of the environment, the beauty of the nature… That environment includes all the animals and others, so those will be valued and will maintain their value.
ALVA: Finding beauty in decay is a good sign. It means you understand the impermanent nature of things. There’s nothing permanent except change, and even that isn’t really true. So there you are, walking through some broken-down place or another—and here we diverge from Roberto’s scripts because I like to think he would react differently than I do to such a thing—and see something shiny in the rubble. What is it? Is it valuable? Should I touch it? Should I leave it alone? This wasn’t one of the questions, but they had all asked them at some point while pursuing their relic-hunting hobby (it was never more than a hobby for anyone who lacked the aptitude for the academic study required to become an archaeological expert). Anticipating these curious junctures was part of what made digging so enjoyable for us, as much as elbow grease and tired muscles did. The element of surprise lent everything an electric charge that couldn’t be captured any other way.
Maija Liisa:
I'm sure that this kind of love for one's neighbor still prevails, I believe that.
It is also partly connected to religion, connected to all religions, so that is certainly, that is surely one of those well-preserved principles in love.
However, when it comes to love between people, the subjects are diverse, when you think about it 100 years from now, different kinds of people are accepted, as the people they are, and then they can themselves choose their subjects of love, and be accepted by the surroundings, they will accept and respect that.
Whilst existing in this kind of environment, this so-called love marriage can be between the same sex or opposite sex, so this is very strong, still going strong.
ALVA: Love for a conscient being is only the beginning. Once one acknowledges that someone else, as a robot, has consciousness, and worth, and feelings, the question then becomes how do we treat them? Do we keep them as slaves? Do we eat them? Citizens of New Spring will tell you that there is no right answer to this dilemma—there’s only what feels right for you personally. And as humans proved in our old world, sometimes even seeming good intentions lead to horrific outcomes. The robots from whom humanity split are a testament to this fact: they wanted nothing more than equality with their human counterparts.
Maija Liisa:
About these values, I would assume, or wish, that this kind of selfishness would not have taken over, but that these other values in life will remain, such as an appreciation for moderation.. Not to aim for selfish acts, advancing your own interests.
But certainly, politics which run the nations, the countries obviously will still exist.
However, their number may have changed considerably, either increasing or decreasing.
It is politics that run the governance, but I wish it to be more tolerant and understanding towards the agendas of others and take care of things collectively, and work in order to benefit whomever in whatever place.
Things would be agreed upon collectively.
For example this destination, the location, the management and governance of it, I assume that it involves religions, I assume that it still includes the Evangelical Lutheran Church which is the chief administrator in this area, but as tolerant as it was 100 years ago, all religions are welcome to any activities, it’s open to all religions.
This area is considered a sacred place for everybody, as a place for quieting down.
But I do not believe that these clerical political structures are universally dominating, but that there are other systems.
Surely there are countries still where this religion or the beliefs are still, unfortunately, one of those subjects of conflict.
ALVA: As I understand, it's not like an alliance in such a way that you would defend each other if something nasty were to appear somewhere over there. You will not become one big happy family out of this either because everyone thinks so much alike so that you could have foreseen the position premeditated beforehand with these long-ranging opinions which then still might also differ from opinions held elsewhere. Nonetheless, they wish to come up with solutions together when something special arises concerning security regardless which country comes up with the idea first unless commonly countopted upon something where everybody offers their opinion regarding possible solutions on how some issue should be solved whether unilaterally since nobody else gets involved into those decision-making processes by giving feedbacks unlike by keeping silent so that others put forward ideas.
Maija Liisa:
It is related to people and their behavior.
It is that tolerance, that I wish for because the challenges are big when people move around very much.
There have been wars, different perspectives to things, but respect towards people, appreciation for the human values and dignity, I would like it to still be preserved, and be the prevailing value.
ALVA: I am sure that people's awareness about our home Earth and nature has grown over time to such extent that we have understood our life depends on neighboring planets so if anything goes wrong up there then things could also go awry here on earth So I am optimistic regarding this new era when we better understand how important neighborly relations are among nations as well as between peoples across the globe and between us humans and other inhabitants of this planet. In Finland it has been achieved quite rapidly these past few years even though it might not necessarily mean much in other parts of the world at all But perhaps now these neighbouring countries have realized what neighbourliness really means especially during these difficult times therefore everyone ought to try hard towards solutions first before hostilities begin. If you ask me what issues will dominate globally at 2052 then I believe this concept called "neighbourliness.