Even though we have yet to invent a time machine, humans possess a unique ability to engage in ‘mental time-travel’. According to Dr. Endel Tulving (U of T Professor in cognitive neuroscience), our memory enables us to mentally travel back in time, but also into the future- and that by so doing, we may realize tremendous personal and professional benefits! In this ‘innovative futures assignment’, we will build upon our knowledge of the 4IR to do some ‘mental time-travel’. Specifically, you will use signals from the 4IR and the power of your imagination to vividly construct a “What if future” that will push you to make new discoveries, identify new opportunities, build hard empathy, and become more resilient and innovative.
Course Learning to build upon in this exercise:
• EFT- episodic future thinking; mental ability to transport yourself forward in time and previous experience a future event.
o Scene Construction: vividly building the stage
o Semantics: imagining the rules (what is true in this version of reality that isn’t today?)
o Opportunity Detection: goals, aspirations, wants in the future moment
o Pre-Feeling/Pre-Experience: emotional reactions to the future
• Signals about the future/ Future Forces: Emergent/global trends in the world that may have significant influence over your life/future scenario in the next decade (ex., 4IR trends, Anthropocene).
The Task:
Step 1: Using your knowledge of Episodic Future Thinking- create a bio or profile of “future you” for the date Nov.1, 2033.
• How old are you in 2033?
36
• Where do you live?
canada
• Whom do you live with, if anyone?
With my family which is my husband and kids
• How do you spend your days?
Running myaccounting firm as well taking are of my children
• What are your passions and interests?
Going to the gym ,being a successful business women, taking care of my parents and family
• What do you look like?
I look like my mom when she was in her 30’s I still can remember the pics
• What are your skills and abilities? What are you good at?
I am good at financial stuff and budgeting as well as cooking and baking dessert
• What topic/activity do you know more about than most people?
Bookkeeping and filling business taxes.
• What communities are you a part of?
Arab middle eastern community
• What are your core values? What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is raising my kids to begood kids who would respect other ppl and be successful in their life, being honest and respectful of other ppl is what matters most to me
• Any other details that will help create a vivid sense of the future you?
no
Step 2: Now, read the opening pages from the “Excerpt” from Jane McGonigal’s ‘Imaginable’ (pp.298-303) that is included and distributed with this assignment.
Step 3: Choose your 2033 Simulation from the 3 options:
• “The Road to Zerophoria”- a future-world where a public service you take for granted has disappeared.
• “Welcome Party’- a future-world that needs to move one billion people across borders
• “The Ten-Year Winter”- a future-world that has just voted, as a planet, to take the biggest risk in human history.
Step 3: Read and reflect upon your chosen simulation: Read the entirety of your chosen section. Don’t begin yet, don’t write yet… just read your chosen section, reflect, and then we can discuss.
Step 4: Pick a Start-End Date for simulation (8 days).
We will devote the remainder of our in-class time for discussing experiences with fellow future travellers.
Step 5: On day 1 of your simulation- “Capture your initial reactions”
Each simulation has an ‘initial reaction’ series of prompts (this appear in each scenario prior to the “Moment of Choice”). The first thing is for you to capture (in a journal, video, whatever) your initial reaction in terms of thoughts, actions, emotions, etc. Use McGonigal’s prompts to stimulate your thinking/reactions.
Step 6: Journaling. Create 8 (not 10) journal entries; aka. 1 entry for each day of the simulation. McGonigal has given you some excellent prompts for journaling ideas. Feel free to use any/all of her suggestions.
Step 7: After you’ve completed your 8 day simulation- reflect upon (and tell me about) the key, high-level insights garnered from your future simulation experience.
Deliverables:
Your creative submission (whatever form it takes) will include:
• A copy of your “Future You” bio created in Step 1
• Your initial reactions created in Step 5
• Any/all journal entries from the 8 day simulation (Step 6)
• Your high-level insights created in step 7
Together, the work from these sections will comprise your ‘innovative futures’ assignment. Given the nature of this assignment, I am NOT specifying a required format and length for your submission (other than the content mentioned above). After all, at the end of the day, this is an exercise in ‘imagination’- so let it flow!!
