Sorry I avatared you
- Hi! We’re still at the Society Museum resting after the Exhibit. Sorry I avatared you.
- I think I can forgive you one more time.
- I have so much trouble holding all the thoughts in my head now. I hope it won’t explode.
- Your avatar offered a similar update. How are you holding up?
- It was a terrific experience, and I learned a lot…
- But?
- But I still feel sad, happy, anxious, like everything all at once.
- How so?
- When we started walking through the Exhibit and travelling back in time and space with each street, the tour guide asked us to use the sensory harness dials to put on different identities to see how people in different places, cultures and times reacted to and treated people of different sex, age, or status. It was shocking to be there and see how all those real-life projections of people surrounding you in the street suddenly go from super nice and friendly to angry and threatening. It’s one thing to talk with your history textbook and completely other to experience it yourself.
- That’s the role of The Exhibit: to feel first-hand how different people felt in different times and societies. It’s an amazing way to appreciate how far we have come.
- It wasn’t an easy experience, though.
- I’m sure once you process the experience, it will help you make up your mind and figure out what you want to work on. What’s next on your schedule?
- We’re at the cafeteria now, waiting for lunch. We’re having a lot of fun with vending time machines.
- That’s something new. They were not there the last time we visited.
- It’s a vending machine randomly serving drinks that people of different backgrounds enjoyed in different eras and parts of the world.
- That sounds very interesting.
- It is! You pay, select your desired background, and pull the lever. The machine randomly selects a geographical location and then a period in time. Once everything is selected, a mini show explains the drink's history and shows people who enjoyed it while the machine whizzes up your drink.
- What did it make for you?
- I drew a traditional fig-based drink popular among the working class in ancient Egypt. It was not my taste, but the backstory was fun. In my group, we also got neolithic hunter’s flower tea, chicory water, and lavender drink, both popular among the upper class in the Middle Ages, Xocolatl, the Aztec cocoa, and some herbal teas.
- That sounds like a delicious history lesson.
- It was great, but Ernest got a weird one. He got a fermented milk drink popular among the nomads in the Genghis Khan empire.
- How was it?
- Too yaky to my taste.
He talks to someone outside of her view.
- Yes, I’m group 57. Ok, I need to go.
- Love you.
The live connection ends, and his avatar in shark armour smiles teasingly at her and starts juggling a football in the centre of their living room.
She snorts with laughter, turning off the visor.
- Are we going to the evening session?
She scratches her head and tucks deeper into the blanket.
- I’m not sure if I’m in the mood today. Are you okay staying home?
- Ok. I thought it would be an excellent start to the evening. How is he doing?
- He’s a bit shaken, but I’m sure he will be fine in an hour or two.
- Do you remember your first visit to the Exhibit?
- Yeah. It was pretty scary at first, but in the end, it forced me to rethink many of my preconceptions about the world.
- See. He will be fine.
- I hope this trip will help him pick his path. I worry that I can’t imagine what he will work on in the future.
- What everyone before him worked on. Just more specialised and using the tech of his time. People will constantly be inventing, building, selling, repairing, and policing new things, whether for utility or fun.
- The consequences of exponential growth are just inhumanly hard to comprehend. We can’t predict the following year but still ask teenagers to choose their next decade.
- This is precisely the reason why unlearning is such a popular major.
- Could unlearning teachers be in demand soon?
- Why not? The world got crazy when we were young, but this is complete madness. I remember how hard it was to explain to my gramps what I do for a living, but now half of daily life would have been beyond comprehension for most of our grandparents.
- We are aliens to our ancestors, using magic to live unfathomable lives.
- Who said that?
- I’m not sure. Maybe there is something in this tea.
She smiles.
- The madness of our times is precisely why we should try to feel more gratitude when doing things that people before us could have never dreamed of. The last century's most influential and powerful lived without 90% of what we take for granted today.
- Things change constantly, and nothing is wrong with that.
- Oh really? It’s easy for you to say. When was the last time you changed your mind about something?
- Easy. Augmented yoga. I was scared you’d get mad at me once you realised I was there only to make you happy.
- That was written all over your face. Front and centre.
- Yeah. I thought it was nonsense, but it was a revelation. Never have I thought that stretching with a group of people in haptic suits in a room made of screens with aerial footage and soundscapes could make me feel so energised and full of ideas.
She gets up from the couch and stretches her back.
- Ok. Let’s go. We can still make it to the entire session.
- …
- What? I’ve just changed my mind.
Hello Practical Futurists,
Welcome back from the future, where perspective and context can be adjusted with a dial, and yoga can make you feel out of this world.
If you enjoyed this story, hit the heart-shaped “Like” button at the top or bottom of this page. It’s great feedback and helps others find it.Let's dive into our weekly workout, where we use futures thinking and product sci-fi to build a future-proof mindset. Start with this quote for extra inspiration:
“People do not decide their futures, they decide their habits and their habits decide their futures.”
Frederick Matthias Alexander
As always, we begin by connecting the story to your personal life, making it more relatable.
Personal life reflection prompts
When was the last time you changed your mind about something?
How do you approach the challenge of preparing your loved ones for an unpredictable future? How can you help them find direction and confidence in their choices?
How do new information and experiences influence your perspective on important issues?
What 3 strategies do you use to process new, potentially overwhelming experiences in your life?
What methods do you use to practice gratitude for modern conveniences while remaining critical of their impact on your life? For me, the fastest way to practice more gratitude is to think about how those rough mornings were much harder for my ancestors as they lived without the merciful gift of an extra cup of coffee.
Nice work!
We're now ready to shift our focus to the context of the industry, organisation, team, service, or product you're working with.
Professional life reflection prompts
In what 3 ways do you try to create an environment where team members are not afraid to share their thoughts and ideas?
When did you last practice "unlearning" when replacing outdated know-how with new best practices?
In what 2 ways could augmented reality simulations boost problem-solving in your field?
When can you tell that you have enough context for an optimal decision-making process?
In what 3 ways might "unlearning" become a critical skill in your industry, and how would you integrate it into your company's professional development programs?
That’s everything we have for today. You did amazing!
Thank you for expanding your imagination with us. Leaders with bold ideas move our world forward.
Think bright, lead brighter, and see you soon.
Pawel Halicki
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