The World is Weird
So many things in our world, when extensively researched, when looked at from a bigger perspective or when seen in a different light, are just outright pointless, wrong or weird.
As a foresight and innovation researcher, I usually try to change my perspective to spot new opportunities, trends or discontinuities and to come up with innovative ideas. I usually curate all this stuff here on Medium (see my old story) in order to inspire new thinking, new ideas and innovative solutions to today’s problems.
So, here is another list of my recent findings. Get inspired and please take part in finding solutions by adding your own ideas in the comments. Thanks!
Besides Fake News the Problem is Too Much News (or Information)
Between all the fake news and alternative facts, a new paper by social sciences Prof. Gary King and colleagues at Harvard University reveals how the Chinese government uses a news bombardment in order to distract the public.
The paper suggests that the Chinese government fabricates about 448 million posts a year, using the public’s addiction to social media and its ability to distract as a means to prevent people from organizing or being activist — literally stealing people’s time and mental energy.
Possible Solutions:
- Curated news
- News that shows you a different perspective instead of enriching and reinforcing your existing thoughts and opinions
- Becoming more aware of our addiction to social media (or smartphones in general) and treating it as an addiction
Our Obsession with Fresh Food is Increasing Food Waste
Up to 40 percent of the food produced in the U.S. ends up in the trash (these figures are similar in other industrialized countries). The world in general has enough food for everyone: In fact, we produce 17 percent more food per person than 30 years ago.
One way of combating food waste is rethinking our obsession with fresh food. Apparently, freezing and canning can cut back significantly on food waste. This is especially important as about 43 percent of all food waste occurs in consumers’ homes — the largest single contributor to food waste. And, because less time is wasted between harvesting and processing, frozen vegetables can be just as nutritious as their fresh counterparts. However, due to our obsession with fresh food, some supermarkets even defrost fish to make it seem fresh.
Just ask yourself: When last did you throw out fresh produce? And when did you throw out frozen produce?
Possible Solutions:
- Changing the mindset around fresh and frozen food
- Smarter logistics, supermarkets and homes (fridges)
- Smarter grocery shopping — we usually don’t think that much about what we put in our bodies
- Food sharing
Most People Don’t Like their Jobs, and Thus Become Less Socially Engaged
According to Gallup, worldwide only 13 percent of those with jobs feel engaged with them.
“The bulk of employees worldwide — 63% — are “not engaged,” meaning they lack motivation and are less likely to invest discretionary effort in organizational goals or outcomes. And 24% are “actively disengaged,” indicating they are unhappy and unproductive at work and liable to spread negativity to coworkers.”
In the US, 70% of workers are not engaged or actively disengaged with their job, he cost of which is a productivity loss of around $500 billion per year. Poor engagement is even associated with a disinclination to donate money, volunteer or help others. It measurably erodes social cohesion.
Possible Solutions:
- Education that encourages and puts emphasis on the individual traits and dreams of each student
- Recognizing the significance of a great company culture, and building one that enables individual development and self-fulfilment
- Basic Income
What If Soon 1 Person Owns as Much as Half of Humanity — Will We Finally Act Then?
In case you missed it: According to Oxfam, the 8 richest men alive own the same wealth as the 3.6 billion people who make up half of humanity. The Oxfam report reveals yet again, “…how big business and the super-rich are fuelling the inequality crisis by dodging taxes, driving down wages and using their power to influence politics.”
A study already indicates that even when having access to the internet and smartphones, inequality persists — although these technologies are usually thought of as enabling equal opportunities.
“While anyone can use the internet to learn about the world, improve their skills or apply for a well-paid job, disadvantaged students are less likely to be aware of the opportunities that digital technology offers.”
Potential Solutions:
- A massive redistribution of money and power to the people
- A global registry for corporations, urging off-shore tax havens to compile with transparency regulations etc.
- Treating global inequality as one of the top basic problem so humanity and solving it in a “moonshot manner”
Drone Strikes Against Terrorists Should be Called: “Drone Strikes Against Civilians that Occasionally Kill Terrorists”
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism analyzed data from American drone strikes and came to the following conclusion:
“…it takes about 28 innocent lives to take out a single terrorist leader, often with multiple drone strike.
…Attempts to kill 41 terrorist leaders resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1,147 people, the vast majority — civilians and families.”
So…wake up America! Oh and also Germany — the U.S. military base in Ramstein acts as the “high-tech heart of America’s drone program.” I wonder what the family members and friends of these 28 innocent individuals killed per terrorist think of the U.S.A.
By the way, according to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, Saudi Arabia probably beheads nearly twice as many people as ISIS. What if we thought of Saudia Arabia being as bad as ISIS? But hey we need them for oil and to sell our guns and tanks right?!
Possible Solutions:
- Combating the sources of terrorism: ressource wars, ideologies, Sauda Arabia (Wahhabism), lack of social interaction between diverse groups of people,…
- Focus on new ways of combating (religious) terrorism that emphasizes on an empowerment of moderate and modernist religious groups.
- Education and women empowerment in radical islamic regions
- Let’s fight the Ideology (not the people) by providing a better, shared ideology
Thanks for reading!
My goal is to take people out of their daily focus and show them a new perspective. Hopefully I succeeded?! Upcoming posts will likely be more organized, only covering one specific issue in a more detailed way.
If you want me to shift your perspective again, please follow me here on Medium or on Twitter.
