Ten Survival Skills for a World in Flux

In Ten Survival Skills for a World in Flux, author Tom Fletcher gives a comprehensive insight into the major trends the world faces today including, climate change, the rapid advancement of technology, migration and an ageing population. Drawing on personal expertise as well as that of other academics, politicians and subject experts, Fletcher paints a clear picture of how each of these phenomena will affect the future of the world if no changes are made in our approach, but also how the future might look different should we adopt his suggestions. However daunting these trends might seem, Fletcher’s proposed skills for surviving them may surprise you. Through chapters including “How to Be Curious” and “How to Be Kind” he thoroughly articulates how we can both individually and collectively make an impact upon these crises. 

Here are some of my favorite quotes from each chapter:

Kindling the Flame

“'The employment landscape in 2050 will look nothing like today's. It is criminal negligence that we are not adapting our education systems to prepare for this.'”

“It is a myth that those in more creative roles will be significantly better insulated from automation.”

“Quantum computing and the artificial intelligence arms race are rapidly adding to the list of areas where human brains can't compete.”

“These waves of technological change are going to alter basic human capacity, including how we move, create and - most dramatically - think. So we need to ensure that our education systems are agile enough to respond.”

“Through the haze and the tech and the noise, we must understand a simple lesson from history: those who adapt fastest will win.”

How to Take Back Control

“How do we get better at anticipating what lies ahead in order to prepare ourselves for it? We need to start with humility and caution.”

“…during a crisis you need more than ever to know where the scaffolding is. Who are the people or what are the habits that you will most rely on when it gets tough? 

“…communication is even more important during times of stress.” … “Make people part of the solution.” … “Who here disagrees with this approach? If no one, that's a problem.”

“Time is a powerful currency,” … “How much time would you set aside, in an ideal world, for doing the things and spending time with the people that bring you joy? And then write in the column alongside it a breakdown of what you are really doing today, or this week.”

“We become what we pay attention to. Ruthlessly eliminate hurry. Pursue stillness. Pay deep attention.”

“We act as though our education ends when we leave formal education. We no longer have that luxury. We are faced with a workplace that in just 20 years’ time will be unrecognizable, thanks to digitalization and automation transforming every industry.”

“Business leaders” … “need more people who can solve unstructured problems, work with new information, share and critically evaluate new knowledge. Working well with a team is more important to them than previously.”

“For learners who are over twenty-one years old, the approach to learning that our NYU research found was most consistently effective, and which this book seeks to offer, is to observe, learn, practice, teach.”

How to Be Curious

“…curiosity is a mental muscle. At its best it combines intelligence, persistence and hunger for novelty. Like any other muscles, it atrophies without exercise. Second, curiosity helps us to innovate and to succeed professionally.”

“…curiosity makes us happier and healthier. This makes it easier for us to tolerate anxiety and uncertainty. It helps us choose the healthier lifestyle we need.”

“[Omar Ghobash] reflects on the complex modern debates about identity, belief and nation. If we are to resolve them, he argues, it is vital to create and protect the space to debate and compromise.”

“Globally, we seem to be in a period when there is too much certainty and too little curiosity. People are finding themselves drawn further into echo chambers, in which they hear only the views of those with whom they already agree.” … “But curiosity expands the empathy that we need to reach across these lines. It helps us understand the different experiences of others. It is the key to unlocking wider emotional intelligence…”

“[Jeremy Jauncey] argued passionately that travel is a universal language: ‘It is the thing that can help educate people that the racism and bigotry and inequality and hatred and all these prejudices can be completely dissolved.’”

“…curiosity is a choice: we can decide each day to set out to ask questions. It shows that we do not have to limit ourselves to one field: the most exciting discoveries are often in the intersection between subjects. All it takes is the patience to seek out and learn from experts.”

How to Find Purpose

“Many of those with the strongest sense of purpose are also those with a healthy dose of self-doubt too. But they have gone through a process of asking themselves who they are and rearranging their lives towards that North star.”

“Write down three aspects of your life or personality that are vital to how you see yourself in the world.” …  “Then write down the three things you believe people actually think. Or, if you’re feeling really brave, ask them.” … “Recognising the extent to which these two lists vary is a good starting point for redefining who and how you are in the world.”

“John Casson said, we become what we pay attention to. Write it down. Share it with someone you trust. Hold yourself accountable.”

“…the next stage to finding purpose is to put together your personal manifesto. What are you aiming for? What promises do you make to yourself and those who care about you on the life you aspire to lead?”

“…there are practical ways to develop this idea of managing your personal brand” … “First, do a few things really well that add value.” … “Second, pay more attention to your life reputation.” … “Third… avoid doing things that are not trustworthy. Finally, own your mistakes.”

“…many education systems penalize failure too heavily, stifling curiosity and creativity. A better option is to help children develop ways of problem solving through trial and error.”

How to Find Your Voice

“…make your content authentic, whether you're writing an article, posting a tweet or giving a speech. People need to hear your voice, to experience the human behind the handle.”

“My advice to leaders and students is to be a simplifier not a complicator.”

“…an imperfect message that gets heard is better than a perfect one that doesn't.”

“The best content is action not reportage, purpose not platitudes. It is about changing the world, not just describing how it looks.”

“You can deliver a speech anytime, anywhere by breaking it into three parts: past, present and future. We were here. Now we are here. This is where we are going.”

“Get a mentor” … “find someone who you feel really listens to what you say and asks you questions that truly make you think rather than someone who only tells you what they did or would do if they were in your shoes.”

“First, think about the skill you want to develop, and why.” … “Second, observe people to identify those who do it well.” … “Third, and often the hardest, ask them to help.”

“…finding our voices will also require us to be better negotiators. Negotiation is an art not a science. But it can be practiced.”

“Finding our voice takes time. It is a process, not an event.”

“When the way we communicate is aligned with our values and sense of purpose, it is no longer just about building visibility and legitimacy. It becomes activism.”

How to Find, Grow and Mobilise Your Community

“A quick way to assess which communities you are currently a member of is to look at your WhatsApp groups.”

“The first step in activism is simply finding other people or groups who care about an issue you care about, and asking them how you can join in. If that group doesn't exist yet, start it yourself.”

“The greatest leaders can do three things in the service of a cause: inspire others with a vision, bring people with them, and then put in place the plans to deliver on the vision. Most of us can't consistently do all three."

“…new forms of power are more likely to be open, participatory, driven by individuals. Change can therefore happen in new ways - you no longer simply have to convince the people at the top.”

“How do we build our own campaigns around the issues that matter to us? We need a strong central message, an honest appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of our position, and an understanding of which tools will help us reach our potential allies and engage our opponents.”

How to Coexist

“’In an increasingly polarised world, where filter bubbles separate us from those we disagree with’” … “’listening and learning from others who hold different opinions will become even more important if we want to build consensus and cohesion in our societies rather than division.'”

“Climate crisis and conflict will combine with digitalization to drive millions to move.”

“We will all need the skills to navigate the friction points, to improve communication and to reduce the potential for misunderstanding, discrimination and conflict.”

“With aging populations, getting better at coexistence also means that we will have to get better at living together across generations.”

“Will religions be part of the solution to polarisation and division, or will they be part of the cause?”

“We need a forum where humans can debate the collective challenges that we face freely, openly and in less polarising ways. Social media can be this space. But it is currently failing to do that, and in many cases is driving division.”

“These platforms have transformed how we create, live, work and love. They have immense power to hold leaders to account and make governments fairer and more effective; to increase our collective ingenuity; and to show us that we have more in common than that which divides us.”

“Don't limit yourself to a shallow pool of online influencers. Don't assume that the person whose view you deplored last week will only say deplorable things next week.

How to Be Kind

“…kindness and empathy are not something to develop alongside education: they are central to our education.”

“…to be fully present at work, to feel "psychologically safe" we must know that we can be free enough, sometimes, to share the things that scare us without fear of recriminations.”

“Practising kindness also means being kinder to ourselves.”

“So how are kindness and empathy really learned? As with the other survival skills, it is by observing, learning, practicing and teaching.”

How to Live with Technology

“The pace of this wave of overlapping changes could mean we become increasingly addicted to and enslaved by technology.”

"’Al is neither good nor evil.’ Joanna Shields told me. ‘It's how we use it that makes the difference. It's up to us to ensure technology is used for good. We can't just wait and see

what Big Tech will do.’”

“Al can't make meaningful progress until the public understand and believe in it.” … “’Scrutiny, accountability and transparency must be the key pillars to promote digital literacy and gain public trust.’”

“…we will also need to study and hone five more survival skills: the ability to work alongside technology; an understanding of how our relationship with technology changes us; critical thinking; a better radar for the threats that come from the internet; and how to be more human.”

“If in doubt, use a fact checker like FactCheck.org. For parents, we need a conscious effort to discuss and debate what our children - and we ourselves – are finding online.”

“As neuroscientist Tara Swart put it to me, 'The illiterate of the twenty-first century won't be those who can't code, but those who don't solve problems using a combination of computational thinking with empathy, intuition and creativity.’”

How to Be Global

“I asked Jack [Ma] what he thinks kids need to learn instead of the rote learning and memorization that dominate current education. He was unequivocal: 'To confront failure, so that they can learn from risk. To be more creative, so that they can work in teams. To learn empathy, so that they can understand those around them. In the twentieth century, you won by caring about yourself. In the twenty-first century by caring about others.’”

“…how can we too be more globally agile? There are three growing reasons why this matters: automation, employability and the nature of the challenges we face.”

“‘The skillset that everyone needs is to understand cross-cultural communication, body language, tone. To stand up and talk and sit down and listen.'”

Ken Robinson argued, education should equip people to live together in tolerant and culturally diverse societies, 'to understand the world around them and the talents within them so that they can become fulfilled individuals and active, compassionate citizens, able to build lives that have meaning and purpose in an unpredictable future'”

How to Be a Good Ancestor

“I think the best way to start to reconcile with the past and the future is by reflecting on two more challenging, very personal and fundamental questions.

What did I inherit in terms of family values and history that I MUST pass on?

What did I inherit that I MUST NOT pass on?”

“This collective effort to become better ancestors is just as urgent in our actions on the climate crisis. There is no better example of our short-term needs and interests having harmed those of our descendants.”

Education’s Sliding Doors Moment

“…the only way we will be able to feed all ten billion of us in 2050 is if Europe and North America cut back massively on red meat and East Asia on fish.”

“…networking is intuitive, a natural way to order the world. Maybe we should learn to believe more in the wisdom of crowds after all. That might be the key to healing the wounds of history, and to becoming better ancestors.”

“We risk a new digital divide, where only a few can educate their children in the right ways.”

“We fail to spark the delight and magic of learning. We force feed kids what we ourselves learned, without recognizing how different their lives will be. Education persistently focuses on academic knowledge instead of character and skills.” … “And this leaves us in peril.”

“Technology will bring extraordinary and unprecedented opportunities to learn, innovate and create together. Global citizens will gain greater control of their own lives, including their education. Learning will be more collaborative, digital and human.”

“The key to our ability to keep learning is creativity – the ability to perceive the world and reality in new and innovative ways, to find hidden patterns, to make connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena and to generate solutions. Yet creativity is slipping off school curricula across much of the world, crowded out by the demand to chase exam results and league tables.”

“The blurring of the lines between school, work and life during the Covid lockdowns brought home to millions that something had to change, and shone a powerful light on the extent to which our current global education system is inefficient and unfair.”

Renaissance 2.0

"Nobel laureates in the sciences are seventeen times more likely than the average scientist to be a painter, twelve times as likely to be a poet, and four times as likely to be a musician.”

“…a narrow focus on science, technology and maths will not deliver the innovation and creative thinking we need. Arts, including crafts and design, are a vital part of the mix.”

“We all need to think of ourselves as lifelong learners and educators.”

“Only if more humans learn the right things in the right way can we meet the challenge of the twenty-first century: how to create more winners from globalization and technological change, while better protecting those left behind.”

Humanifesto

“Humans have had some bad decades and some bad centuries. But our form suggests that resilience and adaptability are in our DNA.”

“As Darwin concluded, 'It's not the strongest of the species who survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.'