Why we take shortcuts | Ari Wallach

Short-term thinkers take shortcuts. Take the longpath instead, explains futurist Ari Wallach.

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Long-term planning is tough. With all of the pressures and distractions of daily life, it’s often a hassle to stop and consider whether what we’re doing at any given moment is putting us on track toward our future goals. And if the answer is no, it often takes even more effort to consciously change course and sacrifice immediate gratification for long-term gain.

Long-term thinking is difficult for anyone, but especially for those living paycheck to paycheck. Does that mean “longtermism” is only for the privileged? The answer is no, according to the futurist Ari Wallach, author of "Longpath: Becoming the Great Ancestors Our Future Needs."

Although it might be harder for some people to consider how our current actions will affect the future, it’s a moral question that we all should ask ourselves.

Read the video transcript ► https://bigthink.com/series/devils-advocate/longpath-thinking

0:00 What is ‘longpath’ thinking?
1:33 Take the pause
2:16 Who is taking shortcuts?

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About Ari Wallach:
Ari Wallach is an applied futurist and Executive Director of Longpath Labs. He is the author of Longpath: Becoming the Great Ancestors Our Future Needs by HarperCollins and the creator and host of the forthcoming series on PBS A Brief History of the Future, which is being executive produced by Kathryn Murdoch and Drake. He has been a strategy and foresight advisor to Fortune 100 companies, the US Department of State, the Ford Foundation, the UN Refugee Agency, the RacialEquity 2030 Challenge and Politico’s Long Game Forum. As adjunct associate professor at Columbia University he lectured on innovation, AI, and the future of public policy. Wallach's TED talk on Longpath has been viewed 2.6 million times and translated into 21 languages. Ari was the co-creator of 2008's pro-Obama The Great Schlep with Sarah Silverman. He has been featured in the New York Times, CNN, CNBC, Vox, and more. He lives in the lower Hudson Valley with his wife, three children and wonderdog Ozzie. More at https://www.longpath.org/

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Read more of our stories on long-term thinking:
Three habits to master long-term thinking
► https://bigthink.com/smart-skills/long-term-thinking/
Why is it so hard to escape short-term thinking? Biology and technology
► https://bigthink.com/the-present/escape-short-term-thinking/
Why professional soccer players choke during penalty kicks
► https://bigthink.com/neuropsych/choking-under-pressure/

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