Longpath: Becoming the Great Ancestors Our Future Needs – An Antidote for Short-Termism [9780063068735]

Overview

"An antidote to nearsightedness. Ari Wallach won’t just leave you planning months or years ahead—he challenges you to look generations ahead. Get ready to think and think again."—Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and host of the TED podcast WorkLife

A paradigm-shifting manifesto for transforming your thinking from reactionary short-termism to the long-term, widening your scope beyond today, tomorrow, and to even five hundred years from now to reclaim meaning and build a lasting legacy, from futurist and host of the PBS series A Brief History of the Future.

Many of the problems we face today, from climate change to work anxiety, are the result of short-term thinking and poor long-range decision-making. We are constantly bombarded by “Breaking News” that are overwhelming our central nervous systems, forcing us to react in the moment and ultimately disconnecting us from what truly matters. But there is a solution.

Futurist Ari Wallach offers a radical new way forward called “longpath,” a mantra and mindset for personal development to help us focus on the long view. Drawing on history, theology, neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, and social technologies, Longpath teaches us to:

• Strengthen our ability to look ahead
• Relieve reactions to stressful events
• Increase capacity for cooperation
• Boost creativity

Wallach challenges us to ask ourselves, “to what end?”—what is my ultimate goal and how does my choice align with my values? And even more provocatively, Wallach challenges us to ask “to what end?” for civilization at large.

Whether it’s leadership, marriage, parenting, or simply trying to be a good human on the planet, framing decisions from a much larger scale creates a more fulfilling and sustainable life now and for future generations.