It’s the year 2022 ... What does your version of the future look like?

It’s the year 2022... People are still the same. They’ll do anything to get what they need. And they need SOYLENT GREEN.

That’s one of the taglines for the 1973 science-fiction film “Soylent Green,” set in the year that is now before us.

If you haven’t seen it, I won’t spoil the plot, but let’s just say it never hurts to know the ingredients in your food.

The film presents one version of the future, predictions movie makers have been offering since the early 20th century.

Fortunately, as far as I can tell, the world’s outlook for 2022 isn’t quite as dystopian as Soylent Green predicted, though that’s likely a matter of perspective. Sure, there’s plenty wrong in the world, always has been, but that’s where we come in.

If the Terminator series of films taught us nothing, it’s that the future isn’t set in stone.

Sarah Connor: Are you saying it’s from the future?

Kyle Reese: One possible future. From your point of view... I don’t know tech stuff.

I don’t know tech stuff either, but sometimes cliches are true and in the case of 2022 it really is a blank slate.

Sure, the start of a new year is in some ways purely symbolic. Nothing changes automatically come Jan. 1, but it can also be much more than symbolism.

So what will you do this coming year?

Perhaps 2022 is the year you decide to read the books that have been collecting dust on your shelf or it could be the year you decide to become a saver, not a spender, and better manage your money.

This could be the year that the young people who have endured life in a pandemic decide they will go on to study science and medicine to help the next generation not only survive, but thrive in pandemics to come.

Maybe 2022 is the year you register to vote for the first time and exercise a right that somehow is still up for grabs.

South Carolinians will choose their next governor and one senator this coming year, leaders who will take us through the years 2026 and 2028, respectively.

To put that in perspective, the 2014 remake of Robocop was set in 2028 and we all know what OmniCorp was up to at the time.

This could also be the year you reach out to a friend or family member and patch up a broken relationship or simply try a new recipe for pecan pie.

Certainly you don’t need to suddenly vow to change your life or the world on Jan. 1, but don’t let opportunities pass you by.

After all, it’s the year 2022...

And 2023 is right around the corner.