Jack Uldrich’s “Friday Future 5:” January 24, 2025

Think: I've written extensively on the power of the human imagination but I'd never contemplated the notion that we are "living in the product of other peoples' imagination"--and, yet, it is true. As I argue in this post, The Future as Battle of Imaginations, this startling insight of “living in the imagination of other people” [...]

By |2025-01-28T21:11:17-06:00January 23, 2025|Agriculture, Farming, Future, Imagination, Paradox|Comments Off on Jack Uldrich’s “Friday Future 5:” January 24, 2025

Biodynamic Farming: A Vital and Growing Trend

Later this evening, I will be addressing 500 young farmers in Iowa. One unusual question I intend to pose to them is this: Why should farmers care about a new line of cocktails (and mocktails) now being served at the Ritz Hotel in London?* The answer lies in the nature of the cocktails–all of the [...]

By |2025-01-23T18:37:43-06:00January 17, 2025|Agriculture, Farming, Future, Paradox, Spiritual|Comments Off on Biodynamic Farming: A Vital and Growing Trend

Jack Uldrich’s “Friday Future 5:” January 17, 2025

Think in Questions: As you think about your future, I encourage you to spend some time thinking about questions. Specifically, what question(s) do you want to answer with your life? In my case, I have a "secular" question and a "spiritual" question. Both inform how I live my life. If you're interested, you can read [...]

By |2025-01-23T21:16:34-06:00January 16, 2025|Agriculture, Farming, Future, Paradox|Comments Off on Jack Uldrich’s “Friday Future 5:” January 17, 2025

Live the Questions of Your Future: A Personal Journey

Poetry has been helpful on my journey of personal and professional discovery. One poem I’ve come to admire and reflect upon is Rainer Maria Rilke’s poem “Live the Question Now.” I especially enjoy this advice: “... have patience with everything in your heart and to try to love the questions themselves as if they were [...]

By |2025-01-23T18:37:28-06:00January 15, 2025|Agriculture, Farming, Future, Paradox|Comments Off on Live the Questions of Your Future: A Personal Journey

Wanted: Ministers of the Sacred

  "We are either ministers of the sacred or slaves to evil." This quote from Rabbi Abraham Heschel has resonated with me since I read it a few days ago. As a professional futurist, I am finding it increasingly difficult to speak about the future without publicly acknowledging my faith in a Higher Power. I [...]

By |2025-01-15T19:50:16-06:00January 5, 2025|Agriculture, Future, Paradox|Comments Off on Wanted: Ministers of the Sacred

Addition by Subtraction: 11 is Greater Than 12

"You can get 12 months of work done in 11 months but you can't get 12 months of work done in 12 months." Please re-read the above sentence. At first glance, it doesn't make any sense. Upon reflection, however, you may come to see the wisdom embedded within the statement. If you are constantly working, [...]

By |2013-09-14T19:24:11-05:00September 14, 2013|Creativity, Paradox|Comments Off on Addition by Subtraction: 11 is Greater Than 12

Perspective Matters: Top to Bottom

In the picture to the right, count the bars from the top and then count them from the bottom. Did you count ten the first time and seven the second time? I love optical illusions such as this one because they force us to acknowledge that the world isn't always so black-or-white. Often, our starting [...]

By |2013-03-27T15:27:34-05:00March 27, 2013|Paradox|Comments Off on Perspective Matters: Top to Bottom

Resolve to Ask a Different Question This Year

One of my favorite authors and thinkers, Daniel Pink, has a wonderful post on New Year's Resolutions. Instead of making a resolution to do something new this year, Pink suggests making a resolution not to change something. Interestingly, by reversing your thinking and asking a different question, you can get human psychology working for you [...]

By |2012-01-03T16:00:06-06:00January 3, 2012|Paradox|Comments Off on Resolve to Ask a Different Question This Year

Lower the Bar

It is conventional wisdom that if you want to achieve your goals you need to "raise the bar" or "shoot for the stars." This works in some cases but I believe a more effective method is to "lower the bar" and start easy. For example, if you want to start a new exercise regimen try [...]

By |2011-11-28T15:49:25-06:00November 28, 2011|Paradox|Comments Off on Lower the Bar

Being in the “I Don’t Know.”

Everybody likes to be "in the know." The problem with this is that it's an impossible goal to achieve because knowledge is being created at an ever accelerating rate. This knowledge creation is a wonderful thing but it also implies that our ignorance is growing even faster (in the sense that it is impossible to [...]

By |2011-09-21T15:16:09-05:00September 21, 2011|Ambiguity, Curiosity, Future, Paradox, Wisdom|Comments Off on Being in the “I Don’t Know.”
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