Longpath
Becoming the Great Ancestors Our Future Needs – An Antidote for Short-Termism
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4.5 • 4 Ratings
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
"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 your decision-making from reactionary short-termism to the long-term, widening your scope beyond today, tomorrow, and to even five hundred years from now to reclaim meaning in your life, from futurist and host of the PBS series A Brief History of the Future.
Many of the problems we face today, from climate change to work anxiety, are the result of a short-term thinking mindset. 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 us to:
Strengthen our ability to look aheadRelieve reactions to stressful eventsIncrease capacity for cooperationBoost creativity
Wallach challenges us to ask ourselves, "to what end?"—what is my ultimate goal and how does my choice align with my values? And even more provocatively, Wallach challenges us to ask "to what end?" for civilization at large.
Whether it’s work, marriage, parenting, or your personal development, framing decisions from a much larger scale creates a more fulfilling and sustainable life now and for future generations.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Wallach, founder of the think tank Longpath Labs, debuts with an urgent if underwhelming consideration of how actions taken today can improve the future. Lamenting the contemporary emphasis on quick profits and immediate gratification, the author suggests readers adopt a "Longpath" philosophy: "a framework for a conscious social evolution, one that is about knowing ourselves and seeing ourselves within a much bigger narrative." Citing climate change, recent global recessions, and rising mistrust of institutions, Wallach contends that humanity is currently in a period of flux akin to the agricultural revolution or the Enlightenment, and warns that humans must rise to meet the occasion or risk suffering a Roman Empire–esque societal decline. Cooperation is one of humankind's "superpowers," he contends, urging readers to build community by finding common ground with others, though Wallach neglects to mention what specific goals such a community might work toward. He also implores readers to act deliberately in their day-to-day lives and believe in their capacity to "do better," but what this means in practice remains unclear. Wallach's wide-eyed optimism inspires, but the nebulous advice and indistinct vision of what a better future actually looks like make this a missed opportunity.
