Recently, I participated at the historic Habitat Jam sponsored by the Government of Canada, UN-Habitat, and IBM. It brought together people from 191 countries for 72 hours in an unprecedented online dialogue. The purpose was to explore the most pressing issues of cities and communities across the world to help set the agenda for the World Forum III later this year.
Max Wayman, President Canadian Commission for UNESCO had shared this thought-provoking opening statement to one of the discussions: "We are moving beyond the information/knowledge economy into the economy of the age of the imagination, an age in which the resources of the mind are becoming as important as the resources of the earth as the basis of economic prosperity. Population growth is out of control, which brings with it a host of basic problems that we are managing badly: poverty, the lack of clean water, an inadequate food supply and pollution. We have little control over the international flow of capital, organized crime and the drug economy are rampant worldwide, and the divide between have and have-not societies is widening."
His idea of moving into "the economy of the age of the imagination" instantly helped me imagine what such an economy might be like at its best. I wrote back, "We must seek to build an "imagination economy," one that builds upon the creative potential of all--not only those in science, but in politics, business, and ALL aspects of human endeavor. And while tapping into this creative potential is an imperative, it is not enough--for even imagination can be put to ill uses, to no good.
Ultimately, for the sake of humanity, we all need to do some soul-searching and value clarification. We must begin to require for ourselves and each other that creativity be tied to responsibility and that it focus on making a positive and meaningful difference. As the world-renown psychiatrist, Viktor Frankl, would say, it is the search for meaning, not power or pleasure, that ultimately is the primary intrinsic motivation of all human beings. We must rediscover this meaning principle and elevate its central importance to the whole and future of humanity. Science, politics, and business must begin to see meaning as the yardstick of success. Indeed, this will require education, value clarification, and a heightened sense of personal and collective responsibility.
This will not be easy, but what better a challenge for our imaginations!
What do you think it will take to become build an imagination economy?
What would be changed and different from what you experience today?
Meaning-fully,
Alex
Alex Pattakos, Ph.D.
author, Prisoners of Our Thoughts
founder, Center for Meaning
Santa Fe, NM USA www.themeaningdifference.com
Come visit the Viktor Frankl Collection at the Global Dialogue Center; I look forward to seeing you!