The Past Can Be Helpful to the Future

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We can't really imagine something that we haven't experienced in some way, even if it's not directly. So often, as i'm populating any future scenario, i am stunned by how often the geography of my childhood is almost always present. There are ways in which we can rely on the past to help us, but we're often not looking far enough back to so that's the reason for that quote. You know, history teaches people that it kills as pupils. Well, we could actually have learned from the 19 18 flue pendemic, for the pendemic we're living through right now. We could have learned from thousands of years ago, sunames before the ami

Bina Venkataraman is an American journalist, author, and science policy expert. She is currently the Editorial Page Editor of The Boston Globe and a fellow at New America. Bina is a frequent public speaker whose appearances have included the TED mainstage, NPR, Aspen Ideas, MSNBC, CNN, and university campuses around the world. Bina formerly served as Senior Advisor for Climate Change Innovation in the Obama White House and she also advised the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology in responding to the Ebola epidemic, promoting patient access to cancer therapies, and reforming public school science education.

In this episode, Bina and Eric discuss her book, The Optimist’s Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age, and how we can live in the present in such a way that we also create the future that we’d like to inhabit.

But wait – there’s more! The episode is not quite over!! We continue the conversation and you can access this exclusive content right in your podcast player feed. Head over to our Patreon page and pledge to donate just $10 a month. It’s that simple and we’ll give you good stuff as a thank you!

In This Interview, Bina Venkataraman and I Discuss Effectively Thinking Ahead and…

Her book, The Optimist’s Telescope: Thinking Ahead in a Reckless Age
How to make decisions about the future
The untold story of the marshmallow test
How most people don’t look past 15 years in the future
Tools for more effectively imagining the future
Tools for more effectively planning for the future
Being present while also orienting for the future
When we’re more likely to make bad decisions
The role of implementing impulse buffers
When an “if/then” strategy can be most helpful to you
How our past informs our view of the future
Social movements that influence lasting change

Bina Venkataraman Links:

writerbina.com

Twitter

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If you enjoyed this conversation with Bina Venkataraman on Effectively Thinking Ahead, you might also enjoy these other episodes:

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