The Future is a very important topic that impacts all of us whether it’s the future of work, healthcare, education, transportation, government, or the like. The problem is that we live in a world of headlines and click bait which makes it hard to tell the difference between something that is on the fringe or hype vs something that will have a more immediate (or even longer term) impact. We see a robot flipping burgers and immediately proclaim that all fast food restaurant workers will be out of a job, we hear Facebook announce they are working on virtual reality and all of a sudden we read about the death of the phone, companies like Uber are testing autonomous vehicles and we decry the end of drivers. The list goes on and on from genetic engineering and the cure for death, to the end of capitalism, the disappearance of jobs, and everything in between.
Unfortunately most of us have lost perspective and context around these issues and the potential impacts that they might have. We are very quick to jump to conclusions, embrace hype, and propagate a single future without understanding other potential futures that might arise. We are stuck assuming that what we read, see, or here, is the only future that can come our way. This is why I’m putting together a new Facebook group called, The Future If, whose purpose is to think critically about how new ideas, technologies, approaches, and trends can impact and shape our future. I want to explore everything from robots and automation to flying cars, drone delivery, leadership and management, genetic editing, new energy sources, and everything in between. But again, the idea isn’t to just share links or recite data, it’s to really think critically about these topics, be open minded, and share and defend our perspectives and where they come from.
I’ve been thinking about doing something like this for a while but after receiving my professional certificate in foresight from the University of Houston I became even more inspired and committed to having these types of discussions. Today is day 1 of the community and I have lots of exciting things planned for the future. I hope you will come along with me on this journey to explore, The Future If…
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