Five Of The Most Important Questions We Should Be Asking Over The Next 3-5 Years. A LEAD Global Briefing from Futurist Chet W. Sisk

We are living in a moment of crisis, where all things are possible. Not to wax too poetically, but what we do now will determine the fate of humanity. There are several things to consider as we seek to navigate our way through the next few critical years. From a futurist's perspective, here are five of what I consider the most important of those considerations....

1. Is everybody at the table?  There is an assumption that the current trouble human beings are experiencing is the result of our collective decisions. In spirit, that is true since we are all responsible to each other. However, like the younger sibling who steals the cookie out of the cookie jar and all of the siblings get punished for it, there are decisions being made without everyone's wisdom, insight and consent. A few mistakes are understandable, but centuries of a flawed pattern means we are allowing bad drivers at the wheel of the car and we are simply along for the ride.  All decisions being made going forward must reflect a different kind of collective knowledge. By all observations, leaving things to the current decision makers and leadership only promises more of the same. To paraphrase Einstein: "the mind that got you here will not be the mind that will get you out". http://insights.som.yale.edu/insights/what-do-leaders-need-to-understand-about-diversity

2. Are we preparing for a climate changed world? It is remarkable how many of the conversations I hear from fellow futurists that are void of anything about climate change. It is as if it's not polite to even include climate change into future calculations. Here's a tip: if you are in the presence of anyone who says they are a futurist and they don't include climate change scenarios in their predictions -- leave the conversation immediately. Smart and urban gardening, coastal flooding, massive migrations, asymetrical wars, renewable energy sources and collective empowerment are all part of the "priority list" of conversations we should be having right now and in short order. Make no mistake. Climate change is happening...http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-point-of-no-return-climate-change-nightmares-are-alrea...

3. Are we getting out of the corporate food model?  Quiet as kept, the corporate model of how to control and produce food for the world is more at risk than urban gardening. The sheer scale of the corporate model puts it at great risk for wars, pestilence, drought and uninhabitable environments due to heat. Urban, organic and collective food production is more flexible to a transforming world. We remain in the corporate model at our own peril. https://medium.com/@georgekao/why-growing-food-is-the-single-most-impactful-thing-you-can-do-in-a-ri...

4. Are we rethinking the current economic model? The current economic model dominating the world is based on two major myths: 1. We have a limitless supply of resources. 2. There are no social or environmental consequences to this model. The challenges the world is experiencing right now is because these two myths have been proven wrong over and over again, yet we maintain the model. New economic models that are more nimble, flexible, timely and humane are way past due. Strangely enough, it is the robots, not the humans, that are leading the charge for a new kind of economy because of the coming massive automation unemployment crisis. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/03/why-automation-means-we-need-a-new-economic-model/

5. Are we reconsidering our passivity?  Many of you reading this may say "I'm not passive Chet. I recycle, I drive a Prius and I give to the local Black Lives Matter chapter." In some ways, we've baked in our actions into the current crisis pie. The world challenges call for more more bold, direct and immediate steps than lifestyle adjustments. It requires leadership at a level most people are not used to. It calls for imagination, insight and most of all, courage.


POP CULTURE AND THE FUTURE

Here is a video I created a few years back. It's about how pop culture may be affecting our decision making. I think this video still holds up today. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UsVRo6on4Cc

Yes!

Chet