Shanghai, Finland and the Future
When times are bad it's easy to concentrate on problems at hand and forget to look into the future, even if slightly further away it looks bright.
The recent recession has affected predominantly the OECD countries. For instance in China and India economic growth continues. In the future the role of Asia in the world economy will only be emphasized, so it's worth exploring to see what kind of opportunities can open up on such huge markets. We are witnessing the first steps of globalization and through it business and markets move and break up more equally to different parts of the globe.
Successful companies are able to predict people's values and attitudes, and through that foresee market changes faster than their enemies. The capacity of being a forerunner is born out of the ability to perceive the direction the world is moving towards and thereafter act promptly in fulfilling one's visions. We are the first generation who is able to see the world as a whole and through new technologies affect future challenges on the earth. We are moving from information society to experience society, where communication is vivacious and continuous.
Although there is a huge amount of information, people react slowly to facts. Decisions are still fundamentally based on emotions, and so it will also be in the future. For this reason we need good stories and visions. With these, and creative communication we can change the world for the better. People often laugh at future visions and come up with counterarguments for the necessary changes. Instead of laughing at visions we should laugh at the prevailing structures, because they are the very things that will make us laugh in ten years' time.
Right now, at the Shanghai World EXPO, there is an incredible possibility for familiarizing oneself with global trends and stories. At the same time it's worth taking a look at the Finnish pavilion, with a theme revolving around three factors: wellbeing, expertise and environment. The slogan is "Sharing Inspiration", reflecting the importance of interaction and sharing as Finnish customs, and emphasizing inspiration as a spiritual resource of the Finns.
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