Attempts to predict the future may be a waste of time,
not trying to understand it is a waste of opportunity.
Marcus Tullius Cicero made a distinction between 'facta: what is accomplished and can be taken as solid' and 'futura: what shall come into being, and is as yet undone'.
The data we have are from the past. We don't have data from the future.
Strategic foresight can lead to a better understanding of the future, helping to avoid risks and seize opportunities that the future holds.
Historia est magistra vitae. History has a defining significance for the identity of nations as well as individuals. The claim that those who do not know history cannot understand the present has its logic, although Orwell warns us in this regard. Despite all of this, it is striking how much attention we devote to the past, or more precisely, how little attention we devote to the future.
Did you know that...
... The European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched its first planetary defense mission on October 7, 2024. The Hera mission is focused on protecting the planet from asteroid impacts. The project aims to explore the possibility of deflecting asteroids from their flight paths. The target of the mission is the binary asteroid Didymos. This mission represents Europe's contribution to international cooperation and follows NASA's DART (Double Asteroid Redirection Test) project, which conducted the first-ever test of kinetic deflection on the smaller of the two asteroids. Hera will now study the impact's consequences on the asteroid's orbital change.
Statistics of the week
The escalation of conflict in the Middle East is also reflected in the intensity of diplomatic efforts. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has made more foreign trips to Israel than any Secretary of State since Condoleezza Rice. As of now, Antony Blinken ranks alongside Henry Kissinger in 4th place for the number of foreign trips to Israel since the founding of this state (both made 15 visits). The top three are Warren Christopher (34 trips in 4 years), Condoleezza Rice (25 trips in 4 years), and George Shultz (16 trips in 6.5 years).
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The term of the week
Black Elephant - Known Knowns: This metaphor represents situations that we are aware of and know well. Nevertheless, we (sometimes even deliberately) refuse to accept them or we ignore them for various social, political, cultural, or economic reasons. These are known or highly probable, high impact events that lie beyond the realm of normal expectations an are thus ignored or not given sufficient attention. This is a case of the "elephant in the room" - situations where fears or prejudices outweigh active action. An individual, organization, or even an entire society decides to ignore a known risk or opportunity.
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