, a futurist, gave a talk at the Conference in Cleveland last month. He talked about how we are overloaded with information, are hurried, we say we can multitask and that we touch our computers more than anything. He says there is an epidemic of A.D.O.S. – Attention Deficit Oh Shiny. Attention is an economic resource. Information and technology is taking away our privacy. Teenagers prefer texting over face to face communication. They have trouble relating to people and the natural world.

He talked about how people see unhappiness as a major calamity instead of a part of life. The young are looking for places to work that make them happy. If they are not happy they are not productive. Silence is an endangered species. We are hyperliving. We have a feeling of always being hurried. We are distracted.

I believe we are in the right business to tackle this future. Ideas are the lifeblood of the future economy. Designing museum exhibits can be the lifeblood and the center of ideas. He mentioned wealth is in connections. Wealth is that which you value. If we can help people make connections, we will be successful. If we can capture people’s attention via the experiences we create there will be a higher level of satisfaction. We will help people connect with nature and history. This connection will help them care for it.

Here are some ways to live a better future:

Fortune favors the bold. – Virgil (70 – 19 BC)

The creation of the future is in the hands of those who can clearly identify their own values, conceive goals which embody those values and devote their best efforts toward achieving those goals. – J. Peter Vajk

What are you going to do to live a better future?