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What You Need to Know Episode #3: Why we should be optimistic about the future. New video by futurist Gerd Leonhard.

I just released episode 3 of my new WhatYouNeed2Know series: Why we can and should be optimistic and why the future is better than we think (and yes, that is an audacious thing to say, right now).

I believe that humans are capable of collaboration, and that we can indeed create what I've been calling the good future, together. I believe we are moving – painfully but steadily – towards a new kind of global consciousness. Yet we also suffer from inertia and ‘future blindness', and while we will most certainly have all the tools (i.e. the science & technology) to solve most of our ‘practical' issues (energy, food, water, disease etc), we urgently need to work on our TELOS i.e. our purpose, our values and our wisdom.

What kind of future do we want for our children? What kind of ancestor will we be?

But you may ask: How do we maintain HOPE and a positive outlook in a world that (right now, in August 2022) seems to go from bad to worse – climate emergency, war, inflation, food crises, energy crises, fake news, disinformation and the global decline of democracy. Yet, riffing off Kevin Kelly's protopia I derive hope from the fact that “while our problems seem to be increasing, our capacity to deal with them is increasing even faster” (watch Kevin's recent Ted talk)

Now it's up to better policies and better politics. It's time for dramatic action such as banning (and eventually, criminalising) any further investment in fossil fuels. The 6 major US banks have invested over 3.8 Trillion USD in the fossil fuel industry in the past 20 years, and oil, gas and coal companies make more than $3 BILLION IN PROFIT every single day.

It's time for citizens to pull the plug on politicians (and CEOs, as well) that don't have a strong future-proof agenda, and to LOUDLY ask for better leaders that know how to build the good future. Big changes are coming – the next few years are existential for humanity – it's the ultimate fork in the road moment. Get ready. The good future is entirely possible – but all depends on the choices we make.

You can download this video via Vimeo.

Related videos: My presentation about optimism.

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