Last Monday, future researcher Sven Gabor Janszky was our guest with our German Caribean Rebells Community. Among other things, Sven spoke about the possibility that in the future there will be ways to preserve one’s thoughts for future generations. According to his statement, this would essentially make a person immortal. And in a side remark, referring to his own children, Sven asked the question: How do I raise an immortal human being?
I wanted to come back to his statement at the very end to ask him, how to raise the children of today in a meaningful was. But then I chose another participant’s question, and my question remained unanswered in my mind. So I want to give you the answer here. In response to the question of which school subjects should, from the perspective of a future researcher, exist from now on, Sven shared something besides our call that´s very interesting.
- Solution Competence & Breaking Rules
In this subject, children today should learn how to find solutions — not merely by repeating previously memorized information, but through guided project work. And the topic of “breaking rules” would be a necessary part of it.
I remember what a dear friend once told me — sadly, he has long since passed away. He once worked in development at Osram. His former boss came to the team with an unusual idea because they needed to solve a challenge with a light bulb that seemed impossible.
“You are now to do everything that leads to the failure of this project,” was the instruction. “If I see anyone looking up old documents to check what we already tried and what didn’t work, I’ll throw them out.”
The team looked at each other puzzled, but they followed the directive. And lo and behold: they found the solution through this approach. Because they did everything that rational thought and experience would reject with: “That won’t work.” And precisely there the solution was found.
- Freedom & Responsibility
According to Sven, this subject would focus on learning responsibility. First for oneself and only then for others. Taking responsibility is a central requirement for success. Taking matters into your own hands rather than waiting to be told what to do, when, and how.
The teaching would look at how and through which internal or analytical mechanisms we can make better decisions for ourselves and for others. And this paired with the concept of freedom. Because Sven expressed that freedom is something one earns through one’s own efforts. Whether that freedom is in terms of time, finances, or life as a whole — freedom is something to be developed. The question is: how? And that is what this subject would explore.
- Future
The third school subject would be: Future. Engaging with what companies are currently working on — those who keep the world functioning.
Sven began with a beautiful question on one of his slides: “Do you trust the possibilities of the future more than the experiences of your past?”
And that’s what the subject of Future would be about. Not only seeing the negative, but also embracing the idea that many of humanity’s greatest concerns may be resolved in the coming years: food, energy, and more. Sven expressed that what we see in classical news — energy shortage, crisis narratives, and so on — is far removed from the perspectives of future research and actual technological developments. He recommended staying away from traditional news, as it keeps us thinking small and in fear. And in that mindset, we cannot move into the future that is possible for us.
With this in mind, I wish you a wonderful week. And maybe take a quiet moment to reflect whether you are surrounded by a mindset that encourages forward-thinking, openness, and possibility, so that your actions can align meaningfully with the great field of potential we call the future.
