“Short-termism is rapidly becoming an existential threat to humanity”. So sign up for the Long-Time Academy
We have profiled the work of Roman Krznaric and his concept of trying to be a “Good Ancestor” in these pages - the perspective that future generations have a claim on the actions of the present, indeed that their needs should be factored into current policy and initiatives.
We’re delighted to find another project which is trying to instil long-term thinking (and feeling) into everyday life and organisations - Ella Saltmarshe’s and Beatrice Pembroke’s Long Time Project. Here’s their theory of change:
Short-termism is rapidly becoming an existential threat to humanity. Short-term mindsets and structures across business, government and society are threatening our collective future.
The next few decades will be pivotal for the billions who have yet to be born. If we act wisely, humanity will survive; the Earth may remain habitable for at least a billion years; what has occurred so far could be a tiny fraction of possible human history and achievement. But, there is a darker alternative too. One where we don’t make the necessary changes in time and where we wipe ourselves out as a species, taking many others with us.
The tunnel vision of short-term thinking is leading to decisions that might mean we are only left with a short term as a species.
Our capacity to care about the future is crucial to our ability to preserve it. We need to feel an emotional connection to future generations..
Developing longer perspectives on our existence will change the way we behave in the short term.
Art and culture will be crucial to cultivating long-term attitudes and behaviours. They are foundational in shaping our collective direction of travel, from the kinds of laws we make, to the technology we develop, to the way we think about our role in shaping the future.
More here. They’ve manifested this perspective in a few initiatives. One that’s striking is the Long Term Academy - a series of podcasts on Spotify (see embed of first few episodes below):
There’s also a toolkit of exercises that you can try out in your group, community and organisation to help foment a long-time attitude. See the frameworks below (taken from the Long Time Tools PDF):
