Humans are changing the world.
But the cost of our ingenuity is high.
Check out Peter Gluckman and Mark Hanson’s new book Ingenious – stimulating, thoughtful, challenging and provocative.
Some insights worthy of reflection.
· The pace of change is accelerating exponentially – can we keep up?
· The battle between man and nature is raging – especially given the rapid developments in technology being experienced by Generation Z.
· We are winning (living longer, most people aren’t starving, diseases are being conquered) and we are losing (mental health, obesity, cyber-bullying, climate change, societal conduct, disharmony, extremism).
· Digitalisation is limiting the ability of a democracy to be the model of survival for a nation state. Platform companies rule!
· You cannot unplug the internet. We have to make people more psychologically resistant. (Bring on Active Listening and Mental Toughness.)
· Today’s dynamics of social media and public discourse polarise people and create tension/conflict, rather than harmony.
· In social media, you select groups you already believe in. It pulls people apart because you become more extreme in your views.
· We have lost the appetite for measured, balanced discourse.
· People think they no longer need a mediator, or expect – they feed their own biases to find out things that support their views.
· Humans are endlessly innovative – no other species does that.
· We are endlessly searching out new interventions to deal with the downsides of previous interventions.
What to do? (KR views):
· Educationally – give our young people emotional resilience, self-control, EQ skills and mental toughness.
· Politically – move to longer term policy making which is driven by leaders and Purpose, not by social media.
Onwards!
KR
