Is the “future readiness” inevitable?Interesting question, isn’t it? And this was the question put before me by one of the participants in one of the recent training programs. To be honest, to give an immediate and convincing reply wasn’t an easy task. I think any reply I offer would not be giving the correct position. Introspecting within, I realized that the source of this question might have been founded on fear or curiosity. It could also be an outcome of a confusion or a conflict in understanding the dynamics of the present and its progression. Some consider the dawn of the future as the emergence of a new era; others consider this as the evolution of a next generation of the social and cultural life triggered by the human thought dynamics influenced and mentored by technology. "I never think of the future, it comes soon enough", said Albert Einstein. Truly, many of the things that we did not conceive ran into our lives influencing the sensory world as if the creator has waved a magic wand. For centuries, humanity was driven by its unlimited curiosity to explore the unknown, to adventure with what was not understood, to control things which they thought were beyond the conceptual as well as a communicative world.
In mid-sixties, when I laid my hand on the book “The Future shock” by Alving Toffler, it had both a cognitive and emotional impact on me apart from creating a sense of fear, anxiety and uncertainty. Said Alvin Toffler" The future always arrives too fast... and in the wrong order." He was indeed right. In the historical perspective, if one could evaluate the discoveries and innovations that mesmerized the late 19th century and thereafter, took the human world by surprise. Thing happened and arrived too quickly than what anyone expected. Further we moved towards a more multipolar and inter-dependent world than ever before. The proverbial statement “"Once you have glimpsed the world as it might be, it is impossible to live anymore complacent in the world as it is." Thus, every change triggered the next one. The future almost engulfed us like a tsunami, before we could get ready. It was both an opportunity and a challenge.
In early nineties, when I had the privilege of dealing with the subject of “Future studies” in the senior school classes, I could sense the amount of scientific and inquisitive thinking going across the world not only in predicting the future on assumptions and presumptions, but more on evidence, and logical, statistical models and research of the knowledge dynamics. It was indeed exciting how the students in schools became creative and constructed imageries of a futuristic world, which though was resisted and rejected by a select few, because of their exclusive privilege over the knowledge they had which they thought was deterministic. The denial to the younger generation the privilege of progress has always been a major challenge world over. The subject was dropped from the curriculum, which I feel was a mistake, The value of the statement by Elenor Roosevelt needs to be understood which states “"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
Moving ahead with the concern for the challenges of the future, I was excited to read the book “The Future of Almost Everything” by Patick Dixon. Reflecting on the word, the author comprehended the word “future” as an acronym of – “Fast, Urban, Tribal, Universal and Ethical”. Several of his arguments to bring the entire evolutionary dynamics under the umbrella of the listed social objectives was quite logical and revealing. This was born out of some major observations like- the declining shelf-life of knowledge and skills, the speed of access to knowledge, the emergence of knowledge capsules that gravitated and dominated the consumer markets, the possibilities of reach out and inclusivity of their use and utilities, the sensibility for a more peaceful, safe and co-habiting world. “The future is about emotion: reactions to events are usually far more important than the events themselves”, said Patrick Dixon.
One could see and feel an ever-increasing sensitivity about the future among the populace, even at the cost of missing the real joy of the ‘the power.
“George Will, the award-winning author said, “The future has a way of arriving unnoticed.” Curiosity, fear, anxiety, newness has provoked consideration of the interface of knowledge domains, leading both to the convergence and divergence of knowledge resulting in ideas which were once thought impossible. Exploration of both the external world and the inner world have opened approaches to lifestyles which were once thought incorrect and unhealthy. Breaking the barriers, trying to understand the ‘why not’ more consciously and closely than the ‘why” has liberated the human mind to exponential growth and beyond. The question therefore remains, “Is the future readiness inevitable?” "Run to meet the future or it's going to run you down", said Anthony J. D'Angelo, a noted author. Id we don’t run, at least we should started jogging towards it.
“It is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without considering not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be”, said Isaac Asimov, the celebrated author. The thrust on readiness for the future is not by invitation, but by the need for relevance, contextuality, collaboration and co-existence. The increasing ‘learning gaps’ the future would create is the biggest challenge for people of all ages, all communities and all knowledge practitioners. The readiness for the future doesn’t necessarily call for sacrifice of our current pleasures and pains, but also to be a part of the emerging pleasures and pains. The need for readiness arises out of a phased migration to a world unknown than to fight a war against the unknown that is inevitably on its dawn. "The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.” said Winston Churchill. It is important therefore to prepare the minds for our empires of the future.
The question how we look at the future, is more intriguing. There are no definite answers, But the question does open to several possibilities. Consideration of all possibilities is neither essential nor advisable. However, refusal to consider and engage with the possibilities of the future is unwise. "The vast possibilities of our great future will become realities only if we make ourselves responsible for that future,” said Gifford Pinchot. Therefore, the responsibility of being ready for a future whether by design or by the inevitable is our choice. Do we have the talent for pursuing it systemically or would we evolve as a ‘genius’ by exploring it diving deep into the depth of the unknown, is just a matter of debate. Says Michio Kaku, the author of the book “The Future of the Mind”, - “Talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see.” Our level of readiness for the future remains in the answer to the question – “Do we see it, or do we hit it?”
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