Ted Talks Daily – You don’t actually know what your future self wants | TED Business

Intro

In this episode of TED Talks Daily, the speaker explores the concept of our future selves and how difficult it is to predict what we will want or be like. Our current selves often assume that our future selves will share the same views, perspectives, and hopes. However, the speaker argues that we can proactively craft the people we want to become and that our past experiences and circumstances can shape our future selves. Technological advancements and the pandemic have also made the future even more unpredictable.

Main Takeaways

Difficulty in Predicting Future Selves

• It’s difficult to predict what our future selves will want or be like.
• Our current selves assume that our future selves will share the same views, perspectives, and hopes.
• Technological advancements have made the future even more unpredictable.
• The pandemic has changed our outlook and perspective on life.

Importance of Crafting Future Selves

• We can proactively craft the people we want to become.
• Our past experiences and circumstances can shape our future selves.
• The plasticity of the brain means that we are constantly becoming new people, which has profound consequences for our lives and decision-making.

End-of-Life Care and Future Self

• The illusion of continuity is the belief that we will be the same people in the future despite changes in the world.
• The story of John and Stephanie Rinker highlights the importance of advanced directives in end-of-life care.
• Communication and clarity in end-of-life care decisions are crucial to ensure that the patient’s wishes are respected.
• The ethical problem with end-of-life care decisions is that the patient’s future self may have different wishes than their present self.

Embracing Lack of Knowledge about the Future

• We are ineffective at predicting our future emotions, so be gentle with yourself and don’t be afraid to be wrong.
• We are poor forecasters of our future emotions.
• Reasons for this include biases, overestimating intensity and long-term impact of emotions, and poor recall of past events.
• It’s important to be curious about who we are now and embrace our lack of knowledge about the future.

Summary

The Difficulty of Predicting Our Future Selves

Our current selves often assume that our future selves will share the same views, perspectives, and hopes. However, it’s difficult to predict what our future selves will want or be like. Technological advancements and the pandemic have made the future even more unpredictable. This lack of certainty has profound consequences for various aspects of our lives, including matters involving life and death.

Crafting Our Future Selves

We have the power to proactively craft the people we want to become. Our past experiences and circumstances shape our future selves. The plasticity of the brain means that we are constantly evolving and becoming new people, which has profound consequences for our decision-making. By spending time with diverse people and exposing ourselves to new experiences, we can actively curate our future selves and expand our horizons.

End-of-Life Care and the Ethical Problem

The illusion of continuity, the belief that we will be the same people in the future despite changes in the world, has profound consequences in end-of-life care decisions. The story of John and Stephanie Rinker highlights the importance of advanced directives in ensuring that the patient’s wishes are respected. However, the ethical problem arises when the patient’s future self may have different wishes than their present self. Clear communication and decision-making are crucial in navigating this complex issue.

Embracing the Unknown Future

We are ineffective at predicting our future emotions, often overestimating their intensity and long-term impact. Our biases and poor recall of past events further contribute to this ineffectiveness. Instead of trying to predict our future selves, it’s important to be curious about who we are now and embrace our lack of knowledge about the future. By being open to new experiences and staying humble in expressing our views, we can navigate the uncertainties of the future with bravery and adaptability.

Conclusion

Predicting our future selves is a challenging task, but we have the power to craft and curate the people we want to become. The plasticity of the brain and the unpredictability of the future offer opportunities for growth and adaptability. By embracing our lack of knowledge about the future and staying open to new experiences, we can actively shape our future selves and navigate the complexities of life with curiosity and resilience.