As a matter of fact, when compression technology came along, we

In the days when the world first tasted the sweet fruit of compression technology, men looked upon it with wonder and declared, “Surely the future lies in the voice alone.” Thus spoke Steve Buyer, reflecting upon the year 1996, when visionaries glimpsed but a fragment of destiny. Yet, as the river of time flowed, it revealed that the prophecy was incomplete, for the future was not voice alone, but the trinity of voice, video, and data, now resting in the palms of humanity through the marvel of cell phones. His words ring like a bell of remembrance: that even the wisest seers can misjudge the horizon, and yet from their errors springs greater understanding.

For consider what voice once meant: the carrying of a single soul’s message across the vast expanse, from one ear to another. It was a miracle for its time, for never before could the merchant call his family from across oceans, nor the soldier whisper his love across continents. Yet man’s hunger is never sated, and what was once divine becomes ordinary. The desire grew not only to speak, but to see, not only to hear, but to know, not only to converse, but to share the vast libraries of human thought in a moment. Thus, the vision of the past was too narrow, and the future broke forth in abundance.

Remember, children of wisdom, the tale of the printing press. When Gutenberg’s machine first set ink upon paper, men believed it was meant chiefly to copy holy texts faster, sparing the weary hands of scribes. But lo! The press became the firebrand of revolutions, the herald of science, the very engine of modern thought. So too with compression: born to preserve voice, yet it became the key to unlock an empire of video and data, shaping the lives of billions. The lesson is clear: what is birthed with one purpose may rise to fulfill a destiny far greater.

The words of Steve Buyer remind us that foresight is fallible, but fallibility is not failure. To see wrongly is not to be blind, but to walk upon the path of discovery, correcting one’s course as the stars reveal themselves in the night sky. Who among mortals can see the fullness of tomorrow? Even the prophets glimpse but shadows, and kings rule without knowing the fate of their heirs. Thus, when you err in judgment, take heart: the error is the seed of greater truth, provided you do not cling to it with pride.

Consider how the humble cell phone has become the lyre of modern man. In its chords are voice, the eternal link of soul to soul; video, the living image that brings distant faces near; and data, the boundless sea where knowledge flows like rivers into every hand. What once was a stone for communication has become a temple of connection, uniting tribes across the earth into a single chorus. This is the destiny that escaped the gaze of 1996, yet unfolded in triumph before our very eyes.

The teaching, then, is this: do not limit your imagination to the narrow corridors of the present. When a new tool, a new idea, or a new force of creation arises, ask not only, “What is this for today?” but, “What might it become tomorrow?” For the acorn does not reveal the oak, nor the spark the inferno, yet both dwell within. To think small of a great thing is to shackle its wings before it has flown.

Let this truth be your guide in life: welcome the unexpected, cherish the paths that diverge from your first vision, and trust that mistakes can lead to greater revelations. Build, experiment, and dream boldly. And when you find that you were wrong, rejoice—for it means that the future is larger than your imagination. As Buyer’s words remind us, the destiny of a creation may far surpass the dreams of its makers.

So live as the ancients taught: with humility in foresight, courage in error, and joy in discovery. For the wonders of tomorrow—whether in voice, video, or data—will be born not of perfect prophecy, but of hearts brave enough to venture into the unknown. And when you hold your cell phone, remember: it is not merely a tool, but the living symbol of humanity’s endless quest to see, to hear, and to know.