Call for Submissions: Your Voice Needed in the Human Purpose Project

The time is now. Join our community of future-minded citizens charting a new course for humanity. 💫

It is time to talk about the future of Human Purpose.

There is a ton of interest right now around automation, exponential technologies like AI, and the jobs of tomorrow. Amidst such rapid social change and economic uncertainty, people are scared of what the future holds. They want to know what jobs will be like in the future, how their industry will be disrupted, and what kind of education and training are needed to stay relevant.

Big conversations are happening about the future.

There’s a great deal of anxiety around the implications of what is coming. And rightfully so, because every domain of human life with which we identify is likely to be challenged: work, communication, personal growth, education, community, health, etc.

There is something missing from these conversations.

While it may seem as if we’re talking about the future of the economy, the future of education, and the future of work, we’re actually talking about something much more fundamental than these sectors of life. What’s beneath all of these areas of life?

What is the future of Human Purpose?

This is the big question. All of our collective fear and anxiety around AI, automation, and the jobs of tomorrow — it’s not really about “jobs.” It’s about our worth and dignity as human beings. It’s about how we spend our time, our effort, and our energy. It’s about the contributions we want to make — what values and endeavors we want to consider meaningful. Who do we want to become in order to feel whole in the wildly different future about to rapidly unfold before us?

It’s time to change the conversation.

Although AI and automation might be disruptive, they are full of new opportunities and new possibilities. We need to remember that human civilization has been through big shifts before: we moved from hunter-gatherer to farmer and then from agriculture to industry. It would be wise to remember that the future isn’t something that’s happening to us — it’s up to us to build the future we want.

Consider some ways we can evolve the conversation…

From Technology Disrupts Us → To Technology Serves Us

Humans are building the technology that is shaping tomorrow. If the innovators and business leaders who determine its direction have a linear or dystopian view of the future, what does that mean for the technology they are building? If new technology is having negative impacts on workers and communities, what kind of innovations are needed to fill the gaps and lead us toward the technological future that will best serve all of humanity’s (and other creatures’) interests?

From Monetary Value → To Human Value

In our current narrative, so many usually focus on monetary return as the primary measure of value as a human being. In a world where wealth is becoming more concentrated and less accessible to so many people, and where automation may replace a majority of jobs, how can we change our notion of compensation to more accurately reflect the value of our time and contributions to society? There are many possible futures that are based on exciting new forms of currency, we just need to create them.

From The Future is Determined → To We Create the Future

This fear that technology is going to replace us is partially grounded in a subconscious assumption that the future is predetermined. Common conversations around the future assume that trends of the past and present will project forward, uninterrupted, and that the future will be a linear extension of the past. This view doesn’t leave room for the unlimited potential we have as masters, or at least primary influencers, of our own destiny. We have the ability to write the narrative we want to live by. Why not redefine what it means to “work” or “have a job?” We need to pause from our fretting, and have a conversation about the future we want.

We will create new narratives for how we define Human Purpose.

This is the objective of the Human Purpose Project.

The World Future Society is bringing together a collective of the best minds to approach these conversations about the future, but from a totally different perspective. We’re turning the conversations on their head. We are creating new narratives for how we define Human Purpose.

Your Voice Is Needed

We believe that as humans and as citizens of the future, we have an obligation to ask the big questions and dig into the diverse perspectives and ideas that define this moment in time. We believe that by tapping into our collective knowledge and expertise, we can come together to make smarter, better decisions that will have a lasting and positive impact on our future.

We are lifelong learners driven by curiosity and a passion not only for conversation, but for action. We welcome anyone who is open-minded, hopeful about the future, and eager to roll up their sleeves.

How to Contribute to the Project

There is no limit to your impact.
How do you want to spend your days?
What contributions do you want to make in the world?
What do you want your purpose to be?

Join our community of friends, collaborators, and future thinkers today to instantly start adding your voice to the Human Purpose Project.

Each month, we host exclusive members-only Q&As with leading futurists, entrepreneurs, speakers, and to explore the future of Human Purpose. Recent guests have included author and economist Dr. Ted Chu and Rod Roddenberry of the Roddenberry Foundation and Star Trek: Discovery.

WFS members play an active role in nominating future guests, spearheading new conversation topics, and facilitating collaborative projects and discussions among members. The collective learnings, insights, and discoveries our members uncover within the Human Purpose Project will be shared publicly in the coming months.

Join us, and be a part of this transformative exploration.

As a member of the World Future Society, you can instantly:

👊 Meet people like you who are on the same quest for uncovering and pursuing our purpose as humans and how we can better work together to drive new initiatives and technologies forward.

💬 Become an active participant in collaborative, satisfying discussions that are focused on charting a new course for humanity. Exchange ideas, share your own personal experiences, and learn from other forward-thinkers like you.

🤔 Go deep on the questions that don’t always have easy or obvious answers. Every day in our community we’re launching new conversations around topics like AI and emerging technology, the future of work, advances in education, and how we can harness new research to chart a better course for humanity.

🎙 Get access to exclusive events available only to World Future Society members. Participate in online conferences and monthly Q&As with leading futurists, entrepreneurs, speakers, authors, and each other.

🚀 Learn how to take the new ideas and initiatives we create together and turn them into real-world action in your own work and personal pursuits.

💡 And above all, be inspired every day.

We’re in this together, and we believe it’s up to us to co-create the futures we want to see.

We hope you will join us! Click here to learn more.