Longpath: Becoming the Great Ancestors Our Future Needs - An Antidote for Short-Termism

"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 our thinking from reactionary short-termism to the long-term, widening our scope beyond today, tomorrow, and to even five hundred years from now to reclaim meaning in our lives.

Many of the problems we face today, from climate change to work anxiety, are the result of short-term thinking. We are constantly bombarded by notifications and "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 to help us focus on the long view. Drawing on history, theology, neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, and social technologies, Longpath teaches readers to strengthen their ability to look ahead, relieve reactions to stressful events, increase capacity for cooperation, and even boost creativity. Wallach challenges readers to ask themselves, "to what end?"--what is my ultimate goal and how does my choice align with my values? And even more provocatively, Wallach challenges readers to ask "to what end?" for civilization at large.

Whether it's work, 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.

ISBN-13: 9780063068735

Media Type: Hardcover

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Publication Date: 08-16-2022

Pages: 208

Product Dimensions: 5.60(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.90(d)

ARI WALLACH is a futurist and the founder and Executive Director of Longpath Labs. As adjunct associate professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, he lectured on innovation, AI, and the futures of public policy. Wallach’s TED talk on Longpath has been viewed 2.5 million times and translated into 21 languages. He has written for outlets like the BBC and Wired, ran Fast Company magazine’s “FactCo Futures with Ari Wallach,” and has been featured in The New Times, Yahoo Finance, CNBC, CNN, Vox, and more. www.longpath.org

Table of Contents

Prologue 1

Chapter 1 Living What Longpath Is and Why We Need It 5

Chapter 2 Changing How What Worked Then Won't Work Now 37

Chapter 3 Practicing Looking Backward, Inward, and Forward 59

Chapter 4 Creating Futures and How We Make Them 97

Chapter 5 Flourishing Working Together for a Better World 135

Epilogue 165

Longpath Megatrends 169

Journal Pages 171

Acknowledgments 179

Notes 183