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By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter
World Future Society (WFS) President Timothy C. Mack said future studies need to invite people from all sorts of occupations.
In an exclusive interview with The Korea Times the futurist said, ``We are working with groups as varied as engineers, nanotechnologists, educators, government officials and corporate executives to jointly build programs for the future that develop tools and approaches to benefit a wide range of communities.’’
Since Mack took the position in June 2004, it has been his main goal to expand the understanding of the future beyond just those who call themselves futurists to all of those who care about what is happening and will happen tomorrow to their families, communities, organizations, countries and the world.
The futurist is also pursuing two other goals: making the WFS more global in its membership and programs and involving more young people in the organization.
As a result of his globalization effort, the world futurists’ organization has expanded to 25,000 members in 80 countries with as many as 35 of these countries represented at one of four conferences in only three years.
In addition, the WFS has seen dramatic increases in the number of international speakers with the president visiting futures-related groups on almost every continent to discuss new projects and strategic relationships.
Mack also shared his success in drawing more youth to the group. ``At the 2007 WFS conference, we have nine programs either about youth in the future or run by youth themselves including the international global learning network and the future city program, which designs communities of tomorrow,’’ he said. ``As well, we provide a wide range of youth scholarships for our conferences so that young people who believe in a better future can meet other of likeminded youths.’’
The futurist stressed a balance between the efficiency of globalization and the strength and beauty of local culture for a healthy and robust future.
``I think some parts of globalization are very positive, for example, the exposure to other cultures and values systems _ which tends to increase tolerance and understanding among nations,’’ Max said.
``As well, the sharing of problem-solving approaches and new technologies is a very positive thing. However, cultural uniqueness is essential in a world which is fast becoming rather uniform, so holding onto and encouraging local cultural health is also important. Many Korean traditions are unique and valuable and they are seen as such by visitors from other countries and cultures.’’
Max decided to be a futurist in 1971 when he attended the first General Assembly of WFS in Washington DC. ``The Chairman of that event had asked me to assist in its implementation and I agreed. I had not been familiar with WFS before then, but I quickly found that this meeting was a very exciting place to be, with attendees from all over the world, all thinking about how the future could be a better place,’’ he said.
Max remembered a message the event gave him: ``Each individual can do something positive about their own future and that of their organization, their country and even the world and the people at that conference could help you do it.’’
``This was a very important message for a young man to hear, and it changed my life for the better. I later went on to become actively involved in the planning of conferences as well,’’ he said.
Mack explained his know-how in conducting his projects, saying it is most important to understand the combination effect of various factors when predicting future.
`` More recently, I have been working on a study in the infrastructure design and development arena, which involves the consideration of new materials technology, economic trends, regulatory patterns, workforce issues and even environmental questions,’’ Mack said.
``One of the most important matters in such a broad inquiry is how all of these factors interact with one another to influence the total outcome,’’ he added.
Max believes the world can build new communities and reduce conflicts in the future by sharing technological tools and resources more vibrantly and he wants to contribute to this.
``The convergence of telecommunications and other technologies has been a driver of this trend and it has also helped people and organizations worldwide to better understand what changes are coming and how to prepare for them,’’ he said.
``This is the most important part of caring about the future _ meeting the challenges and understanding and acting on the opportunities. My organization is dedicated to sharing information about the future worldwide, and we have been very successful so far.’’
Lastly, Max remarked the importance of Asia’s role in the future. ``The region of most growth has been Asia, where we are seeing many new possibilities and strategic partners in China, Taiwan and especially Korea. This is very appropriate, as Asia is gaining new roles on the global stage, and it will continue to do so,’’ he said.
kswho@koreatimes.co.kr
