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Invent the Future



ARTICLE | | BY Federico Mayor

Author(s)

Federico Mayor

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The time has come to take steps allowing us, before it is too late, to correct current trends on a global scale. Otherwise, we would not fulfill our inter-generational duties and the Earth’s habitability would be seriously deteriorated.

In the past, social evolution used to be very slow. For centuries, power was in the hands of just a few men. Citizens had no voice and were deprived of the capacity to take action. Today the reins of global governance are still in the hands of just a few... but, for the first time in history, citizens are starting to have a voice of their own and, finally, “We the peoples” may become a joyful reality. Today it is possible to invent the future, and this is a duty that cannot be postponed.

“If we pay attention solely to the GDP, as advocated by the neoliberal approach, to economic growth at the expense of human development, we will not have at our disposal the human, technical and financial resources to be able to deal with natural and social issues... and yet we continue to invest huge amounts on military activities and the production and stockpiling of weapons.”

We need to be aware of what has happened, to learn the lessons from the past. We need an awareness of the current situation and, above all, a memory of the future, a memory that will show us how to behave today because the future is yet to come. Our responsibility and our hope both lie on the unique capacity of human beings to be creative.

Women are the cornerstone of the new era; for centuries they have been subjugated by male power and when they were present on the power scenario, normally due to dynastic reasons, they have behaved mimetically. Today, however, gender equality is an essential objective for the radical changes that are needed to achieve equal dignity for all human beings. Equal dignity! This is the basis of all human rights, the foundation needed to build a new coexistence. Regardless of age, skin colour, religion, ideology, sex... all human beings are equal in dignity. Therefore, for the first time, the great transition from a culture of imposition, domination, violence and war to a culture of encounter, conversation, reconciliation, and peace is feasible.

It has now become clear and well acknowledged, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, that if we pay attention solely to the GDP, as advocated by the neoliberal approach, that is, to economic growth at the expense of human development, we will not have at our disposal the human, technical and financial resources to be able to deal with pandemics, fires and other natural disasters, and social issues like extreme poverty... and yet we continue to invest huge amounts on military activities and the production and stockpiling of weapons, without questioning the perverse proverb, which we have repeated since the beginning of time: “if you want peace, prepare for war”. There are still arsenals crammed with bombs and garrisons of soldiers, while an increasing number of forests are devastated by fire, and there are not enough fire brigades and technical personnel to foresee and to fight fire efficiently.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given us the opportunity to reflect, to become aware of a lot of things that are considered in “normal life” as inescapable, and to see that the vast majority of citizens are not actors but rather mere spectators of what is happening, stunned and abducted by the media, most of whom try to encourage citizens to follow the guidelines of publicity and to pay for consumption and “well-being” that have both been designed at the highest levels of economic power.

It is time for action. It is essential to be vigilant. We can no longer be a passive audience, we must behave as committed actors and be fully aware that “we are—as rightfully mentioned by President Obama—the first generation confronted with this challenge—the climate change—and the last one that can cope with it”.

About the Author(s)

Federico Mayor

Founder and Chairman, Foundation for a Culture of Peace; Former Director General of UNESCO