What futurists

think

MY CONNECTEDNESS WITH
FUTURE GENERATIONS
Allen Tough

I have maintained

Ever since my mid-20s,

the future,
other

the adults

civilizations

school
My

interest

in global

up in Toronto,
University
sociology

the

and

the

especially

about

future

issues and
search for

all three areas in the graduate

University

My early

was

sparked

my university

of Toronto

for a PhD. All three degrees

and education).

in three areas: global

and the astronomers

of Toronto.

issues

attended

and teach

after I completed

Europe

of Chicago

and change,

I write

at the University

around

a strong interest

efforts to learn and change,

in our galaxy.

of education

hitch-hiking

major

research

degree

for my

by

my

four

first two

studied

the adults
without

I grew

degrees

are in the social sciences

the 70% that are self-planned

months

in psychology.

successful
relying

and

the

(psychology,
efforts to learn

on institutions

and

professionals.

Long-term future of humanity and future generations

Since

1981,

interest.
University
central

the

My

long-term

book,

future

Crucial

Press of America

argument

(and

generations

generations
responses

from

write

come
friend

Then

This

in nine countries,
in the future

involved

book

specifically

on

this book-in-progress

generations

would

express

future

1991

by

Press in London).

Its

the people

I wrote

a message

was

based

to us from
loosely

plus my own role-playing

the dialogue

student

(putting

myself

among

presents the views,

1994 conference,
Called

guidance,

future

on

these five

work of the Future Generations

their November
generations.

who

a pledge that each of us can make to

and recording

if they were

in

perspective.

message

in the important

and, during

as my dominant

published

on future generations-all

1993).

1993).

was

by Adamantine

I wrote

of five people

based in Kyoto

Generations,
future

February

has emerged

Future,

of this long-term

and beyond.

December

Then I became

Foundation

in 1995

13 universities

into the shoes

people).

(Futures,

(Futures,

the

more specifically

live in the next few decades

future

civilization

About

again

is the importance

In 1991 I began focusing

will

of human

Questions

Alliance

was inspired

Message

from

requests and feelings

able to communicate

with

to

Future
that

us.

My deepest connections
to future generations
(and to humanity
and the planet) have
from music: sitting with my two kids at a Beach Boys concert; sitting with a close
in the front

row

Dr Allen Tough is a professor

1V6 (Tel: + 1 416 444 3135;

at a Moody

Blues

concert;

sitting

in the front

at the University
of Toronto (OISE), 252 Bloor Street West,
fax: + 1 416 444 5538; e-mail: atough@oise.utoronto.ca).

row

Toronto,

of Kyotos

Canada

M5S

687

What futurists think

magnificent
with

conference

hall during

my wife at a youth

deep emotional

concert

bond to future

healing

devoted

music

devoted

to future

to Our Common

generations

was added

Future.

generations;

sitting

At those moments,

to my intellectual

commitment

a
and

connection.
For me,
abstract

the

long-term

concept,

actually

occur.

become

extinct),

projects,

At that time,
doing

figment

create

and develop

blend
with

not to restrict

and most

of brainstorming,

role

to them

and teaching
actually

important

playing,

method,

social

love, have

be real, not a

and care deeply

about

their

by this. I hope that all my

make a difference.

I was fortunate

questions

approach,

science

to learn that the

of all is to use every

ideology

I read extremely

the future,

an

species has not

run, work,

definitely

is motivated

of Chicago,

to a single

my ideas about

a dash of scenario

(if the human

laugh, cry, shout,

I feel connected

writing

oneself

alive

real-not

and every other year will

things that we do. They will

in some small way,

the biggest

are completely

the year 2100,

be real people

my PhD years at the University

to tackle

method,

will,

generations

They, too, will

imagination.

All of my thinking,

During
way

there will

of the human

of someones

efforts and insights

and future

The year 2030,

real things.

and do many

well-being.

future

not a metaphor.

methods

possible

or paradigm.

widely

and then

and disciplined

To
use a

thinking,

building.

Goals for the future

Looking
four

insight,
well

ahead to what

goals

deep

years,

put much

deepest,

One

even

in recent

hope is that we will

the biggest,

useful.

understanding,

at this goal

I want or anticipate

sort of world

as particularly

wisdom.

and will

recently

been

importance

Although

they

managing
we

can

goal

is our

far too

our daily
retain

(violence,
deep-seated

communication
global

many

warfare,

positive

crimes,

selfishness,

the downward

The fourth

inquiry

stingy

outmoded

compared

continue

during

concerning

from some other

have

to the extraordinary
of what they should

to increase,

functioning.

and negative.

and

intelligence

and we will

detect

the next 30 years.

day-to-day

of positive
aspects

quite

My particular

and dialogue

only about one-fifth

will

reduce

most

governance,

lack of cooperation

adequate food and water).

will continue to deteriorate
reverse

societys

affairs is a mixture

the

to do well.

with other civilizations

of this quest. They are, in my opinion,

A third

continue

efforts to detect extraterrestrial

are still

I see

of knowledge,

of all.

interaction

be. My guess is that our efforts worldwide

some sort of extraterrestrial

accumulation

My sense is that we have been doing

presumably

questions

our scientific

improving,

for the next 30 or 40 years,

is humanitys

more effort into thoughtful

most significant

A second goal is our civilizations

part of our galaxy.

goal

and harmony,

Our

effectiveness

My hope, of course,
of the

negative

environmental
and for many

in

is that

features

degradation,
people

lack of

But my fear, and prediction,

is that our day-to-day
functioning
over the next 30 years. My cautious hope is that we will soon

trend.

goal-attention

to the long-term

future-worries

me most of all. We do not

take the long-term

future into account nearly enough in our public and private decision
making. As a result, we find ourselves in a rather unhappy situation when we take a sober
look at our prospects for the next few decades. We have very little chance of achieving
major progress,
negative
future

688

deep inprovements,
and a highly positive
future. Our chances of a
are alarmingly
high. A few years ago, at the 1980 World
Futures

What futurists

Conference
discussed

in Toronto,
which

for

instance,

of the utopian

most positive

hope these days is merely

would

over the next few decades,

mean,

positive
and

and negative,

cruelty,

holding

love

our own

of warfare,
How

violence,

(Paul),
book

effectiveness

who

will

Crucial

and

future-much
though,

reach

their

70th

positive

futures

and

our aim;

birthdays

and detioration,

breakdown,

peace

and war.

than a highly

growth,

Barely

positive

future is almost as likely-as

population
about

and child

my daughter

in the decade

Questions About the future to them,

with

future
a result

neglect.
30

(Susan) and my son

of the 2030s.

the following

of

helpfulness

the sort of future that I hope we achieve

is to think

our
This

hold our own in the net balance

more likely

a negative

in just a few words,

now? Perhaps the best way

only

we have lowered

improvements

the abuse of the planet,

can I describe,

years from

that we would

revenge,

Unfortunately,

Now

to hold our own, rather than slip backwards.

and suffering,

and

contemplated

to choose.

happiness

is our most likely

30 years from now.

futurists

options

think

I dedicated

my

wish:

they celebrate their 70th birthdays

that is
cooperative
and flourishing,
thoughtful
about the future,
and safe from war.
May

in a world

TO THAT CITY BEAUTIFUL

S P Udayakumar

I am a multilingual,
everybody
renegotiating

all my complex

of my inspiration
including
Gandhi,

multicultural,

else, I am also caught

Martin

multiple

in this struggle

the popular
Luther

ones

spiritual

being from the South Asian Peninsula.

in the perennial
identities

human

predicament

and keeping

a balance

Just like

of negotiating
in daily

and

life. Much

comes from trees, birds, stars, and a long list of humans

such as Thiruvalluvar,

King Jr, Malcolm

X and Mother

Bharathiar,
Teresa.

Presenting
the past: the politics
doctoral
dissertation,
India, and recently finished,
Handcuff to History.

Vivekananda,

Mahatma

I am have just finished

of Hindu

history

my

writing

in

Metaphorically
speaking,
I feel like a street sign standing here and now and carrying
on my head the names of two opposite streets: Memory Lane and Dreamsville.
I may look
S P Udayakumar may be contacted at the Department of Political Science, University
Honolulu, HI 96822, USA (Fax: +1 808 956 6877; e-mail: spkumar@hawaii.edu).

of Hawaii-Manoa,

689