Before population growth overwhelms the world’s carrying capacity, do we not have to deal with the issues raised by her emotional perspective – especially when confronted with this highly intense and personal cross-generational scenario of happiness?

When I first heard this argument 15 or so years ago, I wondered about it – but still couldn’t decide if it were true. Now that I’m a grandparent, let me assure you that being a grandparent is one of the greatest things in life, something that I should have been looking forward to – but didn’t know enough to do so. Is this something that cross-cultural or cross-generational education might have helped? As world cultures interact, how might her culture influence happiness and otherwise influence how G-8 families live, work, think, identify, and relate within the next decade? Maybe we could all have happier lives?

But on top of this, how do we respond to the highly-emotional charge of population-control being a racist plot, when (if you understand her hypothesis and look at world history from her point of view) it could appear to be true? Is this something that cross-cultural education might have helped? or maybe the truth would make it worse? How might the cultures of the G-8 nations draw more effectively on this aspect of the least advanced countries’ cultures to best improve the future-focused reform efforts of all, to diminish racism-ethnocentrism, and to share happiness evenly?

Business Week, in the issue of June 13-19, offers a sterling article entitled “Nine Ideas from Around the World to Fix the US Economy.” Peter Coy, the author, contends “the challenge is how to apply lessons from other countries to shore up American weaknesses, without sacrificing the strengths that make the U.S., for all its troubles, the world’s biggest economy.” he goes on to explore “innovative economic ideas in countries as diverse as Germany, Brazil, Singapore, and Thailand that are applicable to America’s mess.”

Long-range forecasters might want to get the World Future Society to maintain a dynamic “inventory” of such ideas – so as to enable members to readily draw on them when helping clients expand their imaginative range – one of the most helpful contributions futurists can offer to those who ask our help.

Only as futurists soar above artificial “fences” that seem to separate cultures – and instead, as in the Business Week article – help in the transfer of good ideas across “fences” – will futurists live up to their potential – and meet a profound responsibility to all.

Art Shostak

One important manifestation of these cultural contradictions is between old and new in China,
which spans the whole spectrum. This May (2011) I was grateful to be invited to speak to about 800 people in the main university near the top Confucius Institute of China, in Shandong Province, about how to bridge the gap between modern scientific approaches and older Confucian culture. See
http://www.werbos.com/pi/Confucius_talk.pdf
for the slides.

Best of luck,

Paul

It would seem from new findings in neuroscience that our brains are wired to accent the glass being half full, and, we even alter our memories to accent the positive in recall.

Our recognition of our inevitable demise apparently developed alongside of our capacity for mental time travel – that is, an ability to foresee the future(s) and take comfort from knowing there will be a tomorrow for our offspring – even if without us.

For long-term forecasters like ourselves the lesson would seem to be that regardless of the surface differences among cultures the brains of all of are biased in favor of bright expectations – and agents of change can leverage this on behalf of helping people realize their least-worse/best possible imaginings of tomorrow.

Art Shostak

It behooves long-range forecasters to never lose sight of the ubiquity, fascination, and impact of these unanswerable questions. Tackled in 101 different ways across the cross-cultural range, the questions operate behind the scene to help direct mass movements and the key decisions of lone individuals alike.

Our forecasts are far more reliable when informed by nuanced recognition of, and respectful employ of these soul-stretching quandaries.

Art Shostak

Arab Spring has been possible because of the development of this empathic consciousness, closely linked to core values such as kinship (extended) and asabiyyah (Ibn KHALDUN).

Art Shostak

The idea of students being up at the podium as “teachers,” and professors sitting in front as occasional “coaches,” is a reform we must champion in high schools and undergraduate education. The “Sage on the Stage” MUST give way to the “Coach on the side” where ever and when ever the maturity of the older adult (commonly the teacher) recommends.

Likewise, the employ of group study is invaluable for nurturing “soft” interpersonal skills of ever-greater value in the new cultures of business and commerce.

Finally, news that Chinese students are bringing to the Middle Kingdom much of what they have learned and experienced while studying here is a critical gain for democracies everywhere (NOT just the USA) as it can be expected that at least some of them came to appreciate – and may have help import into the Chinese culture – the distinctly values obvious on most American campuses, namely, openness to ideas, even unconventional or troublesome ones; respect for people unlike oneself; and, above all, commitment to joining others in the effort to help shape a finer future for all.

Art Shostak

Where the ‘Arab Spring’ eventually ends up shall in good measure be determined by the capacity of these societies to assimilate technology and the philosophy of technology that comes with it.

The point that I am trying to make is that Culture and Cultural Choices in our time are determined by technology and technological change. And, as the pace of technological change continues to increase it is bound impact cultural choices (and changes) across the world. That in turn shall impact cultural values and also alter the nature of relationship between society and culture.

(I shall continue the argument in second part later. Meanwhile, shall welcome any comments.)

Mohan K. Tikku
New Delhi /INDIA