Alas, today brings us to our final post in this 3-Part series by Futurist, David Zach. (Be sure to read Part 1 & Part 2.) Here he wraps up his morsels for thought from his in-progress composition, "100 Great Ways to Own Your Future":

#7. And, the most important word of all

This and that. Up and down. Black and white. Hot and cold. Form and function. Art and Science. Strength and beauty. Night and day. Today and tomorrow. Time and again.

And, of course, is the most important word. It's the connector. It's the binding agent. It's the catalyst. All other words are incomplete and lonely without it. And, so are you.

This photo is the inspiration for this article as well as for a new talk.

A few years ago, I found these two exploring the Milwaukee Art Museum. He was excited to explore, she to guide - and me to find them in gallery after gallery. He would rush from painting to statue, she to follow, watch, and softly smile. She would ask, he would explain. He was maybe four. They had been here before.

This is picture perfect. This is a perfect definition of "and." Young and old. Teacher and learner. Light and dark. Paradox and symmetry. Love and love. Art and ....

For unlimited reasons, we must be reminded of why we have art and museums. We must be reminded of why we are here and should still be here in the future. This scene, preserved in a picture, reminds me that when you're witnessing the soul of a culture that has been lovingly preserved, protected and presented so that it may be lovingly passed from one generation to another, you should pay attention, you should wonder, you should be in awe. And, you should do that always and forever.

At tomorrow’s SEWI-ATD Fall Special Event – “The Future...How Will You and Your Organization Remain Relevant? A Vision of Learning for 2020 and Beyond,” David will be conveying his thoughts in a keynote talk that is less about "what to think" than it is "how to think" about the future.

Here is a supplementary blurb from David that sheds a little more light on what you might expect to hear:

3D Printers can revolutionize manufacturing. Smart technology can be customized to the individual level and help make us healthier than we ever imagined. Logistics help us to navigate the world, connecting us with learning and learners everywhere on the planet. Design is becoming an essential aspect to everything from construction to education. The Internet is like some magical genie – answering all of our questions; connecting us, entertaining us, comforting us. The world is connected. It really is a magical age.

Yet, we take in more information in one day than our grandparents took decades to acquire. Our behavior with smartphones has become indistinguishable from an addiction. We retreat into our homes, into our technology, and more and more people just don’t know how to have comfortable face to face conversations. We have unlimited choices and many of us just don’t know how to choose. 

Welcome to the early stages of the 21st Century. Once again, it is the best of times, it is the worst of times. What choices do we as individuals really have? Can we help people understand how to make better choices about the future? Can we have a better future?

If you were to ask me those questions, I’d sum them up by deferring to Abraham Lincoln’s astuteness:

“The best way to predict your future is to create it.”

So, are you ready to create YOUR future? If so (and even if you're not) please join us for an exciting and enlightening day at the Schlitz Audobon Nature Center! 

There's still time to register... Click here!