#perspective

"Bumper sticker explanations of complicated issues are usually wildly inaccurate!" - Futurist Jim Carroll

There are a lot of people with instant insight on everything and yet who are experts at nothing.

Isn't that the way it goes?

If you spend any time talking with anyone today, it would seem that they are suddenly experts on tariffs and their impact on regional, national, and local economies. Everyone is offering up concise statements of what it means, where it will go, and what will happen. I prefer to listen to global trade experts and economists - folks who are trained in this stuff. In the same way, I'd rather listen to a PhD in vaccine medicine than some quack who gets his information off an obscure conspiracy theorist's Website.

That's why ideas like "trickle-down economics will work" statements are always such a false promise. The notion that tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations automatically benefit everyone has been repeatedly challenged by economic research showing limited "trickle-down" effects and increasing wealth inequality. And yet the bumper sticker wisdom lives on.

Why does this happen?

"Bumper sticker" phrases - catchy one-liners about complex issues - sacrifice accuracy for memorability. They fail to address the multiple perspectives, historical context, systemic factors, competing values, and technical details that complex problems involve. They often aren't based on much more than opinions.

The fact is, oversimplifying leads to:

- Overlooking cause-effect complexities

- Creating false either/or scenarios

- Substituting emotion for analysis

- Reinforcing existing beliefs

Good leaders know when simplicity works and when issues demand a deeper explanation. They engage with complexity and guide others through it thoughtfully. They also know that while bumper-sticker wisdom can be popular, it causes more problems than good.

Ironically, my statement about bumper stickers is itself a bumper sticker - though one that points out its limitations!

Perhaps we need simple reminders to look beyond simplicity.
**#Complexity** **#Nuance** **#Understanding** **#Context** **#Depth** **#Oversimplification** **#Analysis** **#Thinking** **#Perspective** **#Knowledge**

Futurist Jim Carroll is willing to admit that perhaps many of his Daily Inspiration posts contain bumper-sticker wisdom. He lives and owns the contradiction.

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2025/04/decoding-tomorrow-your-daily-future-inspiration-bumper-sticker-explanations-of-complicated-issues-are-usually-wildly-inaccurate/

I don't remember.

Just vague images of faces and places.
What was going on was unclear -
Everyone has their own version of the past.
Only the remembrance of the sensation lasts.

. . .
~ Iva

#poetry #photography #perspective #life #memories

*Youthanize now!”* – Futurist Jim Carroll

In Season 4, Episode 17 of the show The Office, the inept manager Michael spends a moment to explain why he wants to recruit young interns for the office - and says he wants to euthanize things (which means ending a person's life by a serum to end suffering from an incurable disease.). Since then, some have suggested that he was coining a new phrase, "Youthanize".

Let's run with it!

The world's in a bit of a mess. Some folks are hanging around too long. Have you noticed how the political leadership in the US seems to be getting, well... a bit long in the tooth? Some wonder if RBG and Joe had retired when they should have, things might have been different.

Let's look at the Senate, where the average age is pushing 65, but many are in their 80s and 90s! We've got the so-called Silent Generation and Baby Boomers dominating the scene, while Millennials—who represent a huge chunk of the population—barely have a seat at the table. And the fact is, this isn't just about numbers on a birth certificate; it's about who's making decisions about the future. So far, it's not going well, because these old folks don't seem to know how to battle back in this new era of fast-moving, social media-driven events. We're not at a Chuck-e-Cheese restaurant anymore.

Don't slam me for ageism - that's not my intent. Many of us will live longer, with minds as sharp as yesterday - but with wisdom, we should also know when to get out of the way.

I've spent my career watching how organizations evolve and adapt, and I can tell you this: for today's younger generations, constant change is like oxygen. They've grown up with technology transforming around them daily. They don't fear innovation—they expect it! Meanwhile, we're seeing concerning signs in the political leadership, from public "freezing episodes" to declining cognitive health, with a Pentagon study even flagging dementia among aging officials as a national security concern. (Um, ponder that for a moment. Like, ponder it. Are they trying to tell us something?)

Here's what fascinates me: industries that welcome young people as idea generators tend to have massive agility and a high "change quotient." But the current political system seems designed to keep them out! Between gerrymandering, polarization, and the incredible advantages of incumbency, we've created a system where someone who is 74 years old and battling terminal cancer—can still be chosen for leadership because, in his words, "I've never had my chance." Meanwhile, a younger person who has the fire-breathing dragon anger needed in these complex times - is shut out of that opportunity because she's 'too young'.

Does this sound like an organization positioned for future success? NOT!

#Youth #Innovation #Leadership #Change #Generations #Future #Adaptation #Perspective #Renewal #Progress

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2025/03/decoding-tomorrow-your-daily-future-inspiration-youthanize-now/

So I produced a new tool that implements #Piranesi's #perspective trick. It now takes a few seconds to remap an image, instead of twenty minutes before, so actually useful. It's written in python with PIL so reads and writes any image format etc..
https://github.com/brunopostle/piranesi

"Too many people focus on 'what is' rather than 'what could be'" - Futurist Jim Carroll

I'm in Georgia, where later today, I'll speak on behalf of a corporate group on the topic of the future of healthcare. (Before that, I'll be hard at work studying the nature of turf science, particularly concerning the actions of a small spherical object as it encounters the turf after being struck by a long object, particularly when the turf in question is quite dormant. There is much to learn.)

I digress.

The photo for today's image comes from my keynote for the American Association of Orthopedic Executives, and I'm speaking to them about the emerging reality of 3d printed body parts - knees on order via a Web site. A crazy idea? Not really - it's a fast-emerging reality. They needed not to just think about what is today, but would be tomorrow!

I'll walk through several slides having to do with the science of healthcare and medicine, the acceleration of new forms of treatment, and other issues. It's an interesting time to be covering this type of material from the stage, given that I'm doing so in a country where the very science of healthcare is under attack.

Even so, one of my jobs is to help the group - all involved in the health benefits community - understand the big sweeping trends and ideas that provide so much potential for society. Such as the statement, "What we did for heart health in the 20th century, we can do for brain health in the 21st century" from Dr. Deepak Chopra, an integrative medicine advocate

I've got several slides with these big, bold ideas or observations in my deck.

All around the idea of thinking big about tomorrow, not thinking small about where we are today.

Read more.

---

**#Innovation** **#Healthcare** **#Future** **#Vision** **#Possibility** **#Science** **#Medicine** **#Technology** **#Perspective** **#Potential**

https://jimcarroll.com/2025/03/daily-inspiration-the-future-of-healthcare-too-many-people-focus-on-what-is-rather-than-what-could-be/

"Too many people focus on 'what is' rather than 'what could be'" - Futurist Jim Carroll

I'm in Georgia, where later today, I'll speak on behalf of a corporate group on the topic of the future of healthcare. (Before that, I'll be hard at work studying the nature of turf science, particularly concerning the actions of a small spherical object as it encounters the turf after being struck by a long object, particularly when the turf in question is quite dormant. There is much to learn.)

I digress.

The photo for today's image comes from my keynote for the American Association of Orthopedic Executives, and I'm speaking to them about the emerging reality of 3d printed body parts - knees on order via a Web site. A crazy idea? Not really - it's a fast-emerging reality. They needed not to just think about what is today, but would be tomorrow!

I'll walk through several slides having to do with the science of healthcare and medicine, the acceleration of new forms of treatment, and other issues. It's an interesting time to be covering this type of material from the stage, given that I'm doing so in a country where the very science of healthcare is under attack.

Even so, one of my jobs is to help the group - all involved in the health benefits community - understand the big sweeping trends and ideas that provide so much potential for society. Such as the statement, "What we did for heart health in the 20th century, we can do for brain health in the 21st century" from Dr. Deepak Chopra, an integrative medicine advocate

I've got several slides with these big, bold ideas or observations in my deck.

All around the idea of thinking big about tomorrow, not thinking small about where we are today.

Read more.

---

Futurist Jim Carroll has been speaking about the future of healthcare for 25+ years, and has seen a lot of the ‘big crazy ideas’ he’s predicted from the stage become real over time.

**#Innovation** **#Healthcare** **#Future** **#Vision** **#Possibility** **#Science** **#Medicine** **#Technology** **#Perspective** **#Potential**

https://jimcarroll.com/2025/03/daily-inspiration-the-future-of-healthcare-too-many-people-focus-on-what-is-rather-than-what-could-be/

The Concept Of Indigenous GIS
--
Reading a paper (http://alturl.com/8wte5), they used the specific term ‘Indigenous GIS’ – and I found this intriguing!
As I read it, spatial data collection and analysis was done with a focus on how a tribe or social group might ‘see’ the data, including spatiotemporal....
I look forward to finding out more about what others are working on! – so PLEASE feel free to share any examples that you might have…
#GIS #spatial #mapping #indigenous #IndigineousGIS #FirstNation #perspective #cultural #social #naturalresources #archaeology #publicsafety #socialservices #planning #design #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #mapping #cartography #usecase #practical #pragamatic #resultsdriven #focused##

"There is no greater act of optimism than thinking beyond the ‘now’" - Futurist Jim Carroll

When people are struggling and in difficulty, it's important to try to instill some sense of hope, a belief that things can get better and that there is a way forward. Thinking about that, the phrase "There is no greater act of optimism than..." came to mind.

It's a wonderful starter phrase because it has so many potential pathways forward!

Thinking beyond 'right now' is the most wonderful of all, though, because it helps you get into a mindset of thinking beyond the difficulties of this very moment.

That said, there are a lot of other ways to use the phrase, all of which can help you do that

There is no greater act of optimism than...

... empowering yourself with kindness
... finding the strength to question
... focusing on what you can control
... remembering your capacity to change
 ... renewing your sense of purpose
... trusting in your ability to rebound
 ... defining yourself through imagination
... thinking 'what can be done?'

...and many, many more!

The fact is, there are many greater acts of optimism!

Read the post for more....

----
Futurist Jim Carroll sometimes finds it hard to keep his optimism ahead of his pessimism. This is one of those times.

**#Optimism** **#Future** **#Growth** **#Vision** **#Possibility** **#Hope** **#Opportunity** **#Resilience** **#Perspective** **#Transformation**

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2025/03/daily-inspiration-personal-reflection-there-is-no-greater-act-of-optimism-than-thinking-beyond-the-now/

"World-class innovators should always remember that short term volatility need not define long term success" - Futurist Jim Carroll

The most powerful thing I've ever seen is when the CEO of the global food services powerhouse Compass Group went on stage just before I did, in 2008, just as the global economy was melting down.

You had to be there.

I was there to follow his message to share my insight on the future and innovation - and that day, all of a sudden, everything about the future and innovation had changed, in a very significant fashion.

Here's what unfolded.

The headlines that morning were pretty stark and ugly.

He opened the event  - a day of meetings for his leadership team of several hundred - looked at his audience - and said this in his very first moment: "We can panic. We can do nothing. Or we can innovate, change, and adapt."

Sitting in the audience, I quickly began reworking my slide deck to catch the new tone of the day. The room was dark, in more ways than one; the pre-event chatter was ominous; people looked nervous and worried.

The opening section of my deck - which I still have to this day (I have all of them!) - was quickly being locked into a new key theme. If they had asked me to talk about the future and innovation, then I was going to speak about that in the context of this sudden new world of a different future and a new sort of innovation!

I listened intently to his talk and his core message, modifying my slide deck furiously all the time.

Then, I went on stage and delivered.

I started with an entirely new section to my slide deck - that I had finished off just moments earlier - noting that what they needed to do right now was to establish a relentless focus on growth - and that I was going to explain why.

#Innovation #Resilience #Leadership #Volatility #Perspective #Opportunity #Economics #Growth #Adaptation #Uncertainty

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2025/03/daily-inspiration-economic-volatility-world-class-innovators-should-always-remember-that-short-term-volatilty-need-not-define-long-term-success/

If you could regain your vision, would you? There’s no wrong answer. #VisionRestoration #BlindCommunity #Perspective

#perspective

When they turn your world upside down remember that their power is merely an illusion.
It’s still your world and simply not believing in their conjuring will break the spell and right your world once more.
#perspective
#resist
#truthnottrump

"Doing the wrong thing for the wrong reason never has a snowball-in-hell chance of being the right thing!" = Futurist Jim Carroll

It takes a lot to piss off Canadians.

Suffice it to say, a sleeping giant woke up from the snow, looked around, and didn't like what it saw. Lots of folks don't understand the depth of pride and identity that is embedded deep into the soul of our nation. They don't understand the visceral depth of anger that most Canadians feel right now.

Ponder that word: visceral.

There will be a lot of information in the days, months, weeks (years?) to come. I'll be working hard to temper my comments, moderate my opinions, and manage my emotions. This will be tough. I will note that my next keynote will be for the Texas farming and agricultural industry.

Anyway, there is a lot to think about and a lot to share. A good starting point is to appreciate that yes, this is a zero-sum game. There will be losers, and there will be losers. There are no winners, except for those who wish to see the destruction of a century of global trade based on mutual trust and respect.

The big issue is - what is the pathway out? That's complicated. 
The best I can offer you is this insight, being shared online, by one Prof. David Honig of Indiana University. 

Read the last line.

It's in my post today.

**#Trade** **#Relations** **#Trust** **#Leadership** **#Understanding** **#Perspective** **#Complexity** **#Diplomacy**

https://jimcarroll.com/2025/02/daily-inspiration-trade-trust-doing-the-wrong-thing-for-the-wrong-reason-never-has-a-snowball-in-hell-chance-of-being-the-right-thing/

Timeline cleanse: I rode my bike from Bendigo to Axedale and back today along a gravel rail trail. It's something I've started reasonably regularly for knee rehab. It's pretty flat, low risk - a 36km gravel spin class.

Wonderful to have a break from breathing processed or avgas-perfumed or city air. So Here's a photo I made a while ago on another unrelated trail in the area, with the same bike and human. #BoxIronbark #gravel #bikeride #perspective #smallPositives

@caralice
Err, possibly 2nd worst, after all those mag tapes being erased.
#perspective
#DoctorWho
#WTFCAPITALLETTERS

#Perspective