Shape the World

‘Shape the World’ was the theme of this year’s LSE festival 2020. It was enriching to take part in the festival, listening to some amazing talks from experts on diverse set of topics which are germane to our society today.

As a young management professional, I believe the world is highly interconnected and complex, and we are responsible for more than we think in shaping the world we live today. Because of this, I think, we need a mindset which is not shortsighted or narrow, we need global and inclusive mindset which caters to more than the bottom-line. We need to think about climate, equality, work, and the welfare of society overall while making major decisions in business or any sphere of our work. We should not cut corners by saying it is not my job, that is very simple to say. It won’t matter whom we blame in case of any catastrophe. These amazing talks helped me to realize that I need to take a lot of factors into account while making any decision or taking an action be it my personal or professional life. I am glad to have become sensitized to topics which are of paramount importance to us as a society.

I would like to share a list of some of the talks which I attended and my key takeaways:

Nature vs Nurture: A very interesting talk highlighting how like height, weight, smartness and other human characteristics are also inherited from our family lineage. So, we should not confuse everything with hard work and merit. Being said that, it was pointed that environmental conditions can mask the genetic advantages and disadvantages. 

Can Technology Deliver a Sustainable Future: Carolyn Steel (British architect and author) made a point by quoting Cedric Price who made the provocation, “Technology is the answer, but what was the question?”, intending to make the audience to search, question, and reconsider the impact of technology.

I understood that even though technology is a part of the problem, but it is something which can help us fight current global challenges. It was great to hear Ria Sen, how she is banking on technology for a sustainable future in her day to day work at the UN. 

A World Without Work: This session was based on Daniel Susskind’s latest book named- A World Without Work. In the session, Daniel Susskind talks about how the technology has changed current scenario compared to 20th century. Today, even though we have enough for everyone but still the distribution of resources in not equal which economists didn’t think much about.

Power, Philanthropy, and Inequality: I Learned about the need for advocating good public policy with a global mindset, and the importance of philanthropy (acts as a cohesive force in our society) in driving the change.

Gender Equality and Data Revolution: In this talk, I got to understand the role of data in bringing gender equality. The importance of data collection, skills to analyze data and its role in driving social change. I was excited to learn about the role of Open Government Partnership (OGP) in driving change in cooperation with multiple countries across the world.

Imagining our Futures: Personally, this session was one of the best sessions of the festival. The speakers took 8-minutes each to highlight how they imagine the future and what we can do on an individual level. I learned about what I can do on an individual level, right now, to make the society a better place to live. Some suggestions were to use data instead of headline to form opinion, questioning meritocracy (which is very subjective, actively participating in politics (by voting or by joining politics), taking small steps such using reusable cups to flight climate change.

In general, we are surrounded by like-minded people, people from the same educational, or professional background. To some extent this was also a case for me- even though I consciously make an effort to connect with people from different background. This festival was a great place to connect with people from different cultural, social, and professional backgrounds. Loved that!

So, I will leave you by saying that, let us take a shared responsibility and ‘Shape the World.’

Thank you!