Civilization is in a race between education and catastrophe.
Our times are serious times. Do we want to take up our destiny amongst the stars, to solve climate change and disease and to eliminate cruelty across the board?
Or do we go the other way and “work to live”? To live for the weekends and the evenings, to fastidiously optimize that slice of time that is truly ours, after work has consumed its lions share.
We live in times of remote-working, of being able to commute to offices equipped with beer-taps and baristas, with ping-pong tables and bring-your-dog-to-work facilities, with exposed pipes in the ceilings and brickwork walls that makes us feel authentic and communal, where hot-desking is prevalent and you’ve got that open-office hustle-and-bustle vibe.
Our previous XT16 conference was about unlocking the benefits of play, unlocking creativity and unleashing innovation, jet-powering productivity.
At XT20 we’re looking backwards as well as forwards. We want to take inspiration from our forebears and recapture that sense of seriousness optimism for the grandscale projects. The Victorians built the railways, the steam engines, sewer systems and the collosal bridges. They dreamed big. They ushered in the technological industrial revolution.
If we’re going to solve the serious challenges, then we need to dream big now more than ever. We need advanced technology and solutions, inventions, resolve and perseverance, the ability to communicate respectfully and to bring people with us on our journey. We need to win the race we face now, between education and catastrophe.
Work matters, work is the key. It also helps us grow, to lead a well-rounded and fulfillled life, where we can derive value from all areas.
See you at XT20, July 10, 2020.
It’s time to get to work!
