Seven Transversal Signals from the Aspen Ideas Festival 2024

Aspen programs are designed to take you out of your comfort zone and into the land of thinking. Why do I feel uncomfortable hearing this? What do I want to learn? What emotions and past experiences does it trigger?

This is my yarn of ideas that became woven into the fabric of potential futures.

 

Democracy as a muscle we need to exercise

Being a politician in this day and age is hard business. The initiative Disagree Better[1] from both Democratic and Republican governors takes, however, a positive step to bridge the polarization debate. The Governor of Colorado Jared Polis (Democrat) and Governor of Utah Spencer Cox (Republican) created a platform to discuss key matters respectfully and constructively. The idea was sparked by research done at the Stanford Polarization and Societal Change Lab.[2]Naturally, from their distinct political camps, they are looking at issues differently, some want more regulation, others want to allow the free market to sort itself out. They are able to sit around one table, however, and listen to each other’s motivations and arguments behind the policies they are suggesting. There is an open and safe dialog that uses a lot of ‘whys’ to uncover the intrinsic motivations. They are looking for what they have in common rather than the differences that separate them. When it comes to policy drafts, they are done in a way to achieve the goals set by both parties. None of the parties will be completely happy, but that’s the essence of democracy. You can watch the recording of the session Can We Disagree Better online.[3] The initiative, in my opinion, adds sanity flavor into the emotionally charged discussion rallying crowds blindly towards a cause stated by their leader. The world is becoming more complex and harder to understand, so returning to the first principles of policy, such as protecting children online, offering safe and decent jobs, and being mindful of immigration issues, can be done politely and constructively. That is something we could use a recipe for in Slovakia these days.

 

Revolutions are a natural state of development

Journalist and commentator Fareed Zakaria[4] looks into the growing polarization of society with his latest book Age of Revolutions. Being a light summer read, I devoured the book during my stay in Greece. It takes us on a trip down memory lane across European nations sparking democratic tendencies from the seventeenth century. The argument in the book explores the violent, bloody and cunning revolutions on the old continent that led to society slowly becoming accustomed to the concepts of equality, rights, social security and freedom, all encompassed in liberal values. In our region, you can see, even 30 years after the Velvet Revolution, that democratic values were not soaked into society with all its benefits, opportunities and responsibilities. We have skimmed the top, embracing economic freedoms and growth, however the communal, social and political aspects, that create the foundations of democracies, are simply missing. Based on the examples in the book, it takes progress, missteps and societal pressures to achieve a liberal society that is just for all its members.

It took centuries of back and forth movements to reap the benefits powered by industrial revolutions and economic growth that came with unlocking the potential across various social groups, even though sometimes very slowly.

The cyclical nature of human development takes us to yet another revolution, or poly-revolution connected to the poly-crises we are experiencing in climate, economy, world order and social shifts.

The world now, as the author argues and I tend to agree, is turning the tables on traditional politics. The rapid change creates a dividing line between ‘Somewheres’ and ‘Anywheres’. It is not the Left or Right, the divisions are played on a multiverse of chessboards. To generalize, ‘Somewheres’ are ingrained to the place they grew up in, worked most of their life and saw their work and lifestyle diminish over the past decades. They are usually from smaller and rural places, are less educated and do not know how to take advantage of the rapidly changing world. We can see them in small towns in the Midwest USA, or not even as far as in mining and industrial towns in Slovakia or across Europe. They tend to believe in an illiberal autocratic savior who will give them back the life and community they used to have. On the other hand, the ‘Anywheres’ are educated, ambitious global citizens who can make any place their home. They concentrate in bigger cities, understand and most of all embrace the changes and take advantage of it. The most precious values are their personal freedoms and enablers for economic opportunity. The challenge is how to balance these two seemingly exact opposites with policies that will empower the first group and engage the second. The video of his conversation is available here.[5]

 

The spark of change  

One of my fellow peers, Hemakshi Meghani co-founded a grassroots organization, the Indian School of Democracy, which focuses on empowering local leaders with hard skills, principles and community to become elected officials honoring the importance and impact of public service. India is the largest democracy in the world and the rapid changes happening in the country could make one’s head spin. Hemakshi and her team want to build on the legacy of the independence leaders, who dedicated their life and skills to bettering Indian society in the post colonial era. What is inspiring is, they plant a seed, provide tools, but then allow for the community to take over. Their programs immerse the participants in places they have never been before and connect with people they would not naturally meet. Starting on a local level, they want to empower local communities, strengthen them, create positive change and then move up the political ladder. Their programs are nonpartisan and they often work with various politicians across the aisle to provide real experiences and tactics. Initiatives like these, give me hope that grassroots can spread to existing institutions and create a blend of the new which is based on the values of a just, caring and open society.

 

Misinformation on fire

2024 is a global election year, with the biggest elections around the corner in November. The World Economic Forum Global Risks Report 2024[6] has identified misinformation and disinformation as one of the top threads, with many countries and states having strategies in place to combat AI fueled misinformation aimed at malicious intent to tamper with elections.[7] Nowadays, it takes around 100 USD to hire a developer to create a website that will spit fake news uncontrollably powered by AI. There is a 50 percent chance, if you go online in the US and think you are reading a local news site, that you might be reading a hoax website.[8] It comes from the Left, the Right or the malicious protagonists that want to temper with your mind. We are passive receivers of the news and do not seek news proactively, which might take you on a spiral down the rabbit hole of doubting everything. Welcome to the post factual age where opinions rage in the public space.

Taiwan decided, for example, to take simple steps to prevent any malevolent players trying to influence their population. To avoid citizens believing or acting based on false reports, the Taiwanese government created a single number that will be sending out information to citizens. They have simply unified all the communications channels from the government into one recognizable number 111.

The new times require new skills and we all need to become curious as journalists and fact-check everything. This calls for developing digital competence in schools and upskilling for the working generations, informing them about how deep fake campaigns work.

The compact island nested between the East and South China Sea wanted to build a connection between the state and its residents. They have randomly selected 450 citizens, representing the demographics of the country, to discuss key topics touching the public realm, create vision and consensus across them. Instead of using humans, they employed AI to synthesize across the groups in real time and share updates in real time across these focus groups. This gave residents real time feedback and overview across the spectrum and supported policymakers in designing policies best suited for everyone.

States in the US are focusing on pre-bunking of misinformation through campaigns and education in the eve of the Presidential election in November. The state of Michigan created a communication campaign to inform and prepare voters.[9] Even internally, they have strategies and policies for fake robocalls or other malicious actions on election day.

Different generations consume news in various ways. Gen Z does not read and relies on social media for news content. Their world is too complex, they crave simplicity, which might make some of them prone to shortcut solutions and views of the world fueled by autocratic leaders. It takes strategies on multiple fronts to address complexities in the world we live in, however, the role of the government is an active one, going hand in hand with the latest trends, understanding and responding quickly. This is not the strongest suit of the government, but as can be seen with the examples of Taiwan or Michigan, it can be done for the benefit of citizens and the protection of democratic principles.

 

Feeling of agency a key to a fulfilled life

The US declares itself as the land of opportunity, but more and more it feels like it is for the selected few from the right college and background. Aspen Ideas recognizes these disparities and tries to address them through bridging the wealth gap, rebirth of unions or finding meaning in life. [10]

It is hard for me to imagine the breadth of systemic racism that hinders access to financial services, loans and housing based on the color of someone’s skin. I thought this was a story of the past. The Black community is trying, however, to help itself. Among my fellows were multiple organizations that facilitated small business loans and programs to support entrepreneurship in disadvantaged communities and their focus was unapologetically on the African American demographic. I also appreciate the movement of wealthy Americans, mostly from Caucasian backgrounds, that want to start investing into these communities. It is not just altruism, it makes economic sense and lifts communities to more wealth, health and ultimately well-being. Respectable financial organizations have started to follow suit recognizing the economic opportunity, as well as the equality that is finally brought to these communities. Surprisingly, the traditional wealth managers are suggesting staying away from these risky and for them hard to understand opportunities. On the other side of the spectrum are ultrarich and progressive investors who are not looking for a return on investment, but are willing to give away their vast wealth to impact causes in order to overturn the ruthless rules of modern capitalism. The New York Times nicknamed them trust fund activists.[11]

Looking beyond just money, decent work is one of the core principles of a good life and a sense of agency over one’s faith and place in the world.

The US is not very strong on employee rights and there were recently some corporate strategies to discourage workers from unionizing in the South. Once done right, the unions could serve as a tool for democracy, by giving them the ability to sit around the table and decide on the important aspect of their lives. Unions also serve as communities that are rare and far behind in modern individualistic societies.

A feeling of being heard and a sense that your voice counts, similar to the Taiwanese initiative, might calm down rattling emotions of unrest and instability over one’s future that is shaking our democracies.

Over one of the panel discussions, one of the speakers asked the audience how many of them know people who earn less than 250,000 USD a year and are not their employees. Very few hands went up. Social mobility and mixing of classes is broken. It is hard to understand the struggles of lower or middle class people if you do not blend with them socially. Some European cities (Barcelona, Vienna, various German cities) are doing this right, they create rules that put together the wealthy, the middle class, elderly and ones in need of social housing. Physical proximity promotes a connection and when you meet at the children’s playground, no one cares what your paygrade is. Children are universal for us all.

 

Virtue as a key to happiness

Even ancient philosophers, like Plato, explored happiness in life through the lens of how to become a better person and add value to the world. They were working on their virtues and sharing them with the world. It was not instant gratification that made them happy, but constant work on one’s self. Marrying ancient philosophy with neuroscience shows us that happiness in life comes from being in balance with yourself. We can mirror this in offering meaning through work and community to people who might seem disillusioned about their place in the world.[12]

To allow for this change to happen we need good leaders.[13] It is hard to be one in the fast cycle of judgment. As the President of Ford Foundation Darren Walker pointed out, there is no time to explain or even correct yourself. The former CEO of PepsiCo Indra Nooyi opened her world to us. Wittily, she told us about the lonely journey of the CEO, a woman, who did not have anyone to peptalk her, so she did it herself with a mirror. Her point was to stand behind what you believe in and what you think is the right thing to do. For her diversity and inclusion are not just vogue words, borrowing this phrase from the infamous Peter Thiel, but a mantra to live by that when done right brings economic benefits to the company. Leaders like her, who look beyond the quarterly earning reports, can be the best allies in adjusting the course of the economic setup to allow for broader economic opportunities that include the impacts of business decisions beyond profit margins into the realm of social and climate.

 

The blue heart of our planet

In our day to day, we tend to forget we are a water planet. Most of the Earth’s surface is water and we reap many benefits from oceanic ecosystems even in the mainland of Europe.

During the Evenings @ Ideas, several world renowned photographers and trained scientists, Christina Mittermeier and Paul Nicklen,[14] opened their beautiful nature fueled lives. They spent days observing remote areas of the world, with animals calling them home and having the privilege to take some breathtaking pictures.

Paul showed us a mesmerizing photo of a polar bear which was taken during a snowstorm. He was hiding in a hut and suddenly the bear came to explore the place. He wanted to take his picture, but the lights were outside, and the bear, curious as he was, followed him from a window to the door. He decided to improvise. He opened the window, opened his laptop to have at least some light in the dark ancient cabin and talked to the bear when taking the picture. The picture “Face to Face”[15] shows the delightful curiosity of the animal and the bravery of the photographer. 

This was one of the few examples of storytelling, explaining the need to care and protect the oceans.

We have all the data available, but creating provocative and emotional images and stories, captures the human attention more.

The past two years have been the hottest on record, we all see the numbers on thermometers and scientists calling for more rapid change in our behavior. The heat is scorching the earth, but it is also destroying the precious ecosystems in the coastal waters. I remember snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef seven years ago and seeing half of the corals white and dead. It was a truly scary scene from a cemetery. Since then, it has only grown worse. Losing the coral reefs is like having the biggest wildfire on the planet happening underwater.

“The biggest problem the ocean has is apathy,” shared Christina when trying to make a case for the funding and protection of the maritime ecosystems. Among 17 Sustainable development goals, the protection of the sea is the most under funded. Even Americans, who are the most philanthropic of all nations, donate the least to the oceans.

Taking agency and doing something so we continue living on our planet, we need to keep nature alive. Action can be generated through emotions that trigger care. That’s why Christina and Paul turned to storytelling to sooth and push us into action. Climate change is endangering humans and the inaction is killing our biggest ally in curbing emissions – mangroves, coral reefs and rainforests.

An emerging field in policy-making is factoring in the nonhuman actors into the equation. Imagine if you calculate the risks and benefits of the planet and its ecosystems while making decisions. The new initiatives give a seat to the table to rivers, forests and coral reefs while the decisions are being made on economic policy and development.

I am not advocating stopping human progress, but I want us to consider the holistic impacts on our decisions and potential alternatives that consider the social and climate effects that go alongside the economic benefits of growth.

 

Conclusion – the next act for humans

Feeling heard, included and cared for across the spectrum might be one of the cures for democratic earthquakes and simple solutions presented by power seeking autocrats. The complexity of the world can only be reflected in the complexity of solutions that grasp a systemic view on the challenges facing them and the interconnections between them.

The complexity affect all aspects of our lives, from economic policy that cares about social and climate needs, to more just wealth distribution and access to opportunity without any cultural and racial bias. This might help us restore curiosity in becoming virtuous humans, igniting a sense of belonging and inspiring us to create and join communities that are still ultimately the threads of human societies.

I can see hope even in the light of the little fires we can see everywhere. What we need are brave leaders, adaptive institutions and communities that will take us through the dark times. To lighten up the mood on the way, there is always art and human creativity that sparks joy in the hardest of times.