There are many factors that can shape our understanding of the world and the way we live, act, and speak. For centuries, we humans have been creating: stories, art, and countless other works – driven by what seems to be an intrinsic need for development, one that appears unstoppable.
I told myself a single story for years: that we are all inherently creative beings and that our life’s purpose is to tap into our creativity to fuel our deepest desires. Yet, I never considered that these same creative powers could be used negatively—against other people. Perhaps I would never have called that power “creative” at all; it felt more like a destructive force. Then, one day, I had the opportunity to interview the Creativity Explorer, Fredrik Haren, who made me realize my viewpoint was incomplete.
What really struck me was how I had embraced a one-sided story about creativity for so long.
It hit me like a yellow brick that this wasn’t the entire truth – just a fragment I’d created in my head and carefully nurtured for years.
In her TED Conferences Talk: “The Danger of a Single Story,” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie speaks beautifully about her own experience. She explains how discovering African authors, after years of reading only American and British books, saved her from having just one narrow view of what literature could be. In a similar way, my conversation with Fredrik saved me from having a single, biased narrative about creativity.
As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie explains, the creation of a single story comes from repeatedly showing people “as only one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become.” I can’t help but think this applies not just to people but to many other areas, too. Take, for instance, new technologies and the single story about how they could save the planet – particularly AI at the forefront – or how medical devices could merge with our bodies, supposedly enhancing our capabilities, curing diseases, and allowing us to live longer, healthier lives. The potential is indeed enormous. For a long time, I was excited about a future where every human being could be “enhanced” by technology, where machines take over mundane tasks so we can focus on what truly matters, and where life becomes so easy that there’s practically no need to think.
Fascinating, right?
But that is just one side of the story. There seems to be too little discussion about the dangers inherent in such singular narratives. Considering the full range of possibilities and challenges is no longer just a casual conversation over coffee with professors; it has become a societal imperative, because these innovations will affect us in one way or another.
Let’s consider the above stories and flip the narrative. What if the promise of enhanced human capabilities through technology actually opens the door to manipulative systems that influence our decision-making processes without our knowledge? What if living longer and healthier triggers massive overpopulation, leading to conflicts and tragedies on a global scale? What if the promise of AI leads to short- and long-term disruptions so severe that, without proper safeguards, it causes more suffering than meaningful progress?
I’m aware this might sound a bit black-and-white. In reality, we’re dealing with all the colors of the rainbow, and each of our stories or narratives needs to be part of the conversation.
As Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says, “It is impossible to talk about a single story without talking about power. Stories, like power, are defined by who tells them, how they are told, when they are told, and how many stories are told. Power is not just the ability to tell the story of another person, but to make it the definitive story of that person.” Most importantly, a single story is only a part of the whole picture; it doesn’t define an entire nation, system, or future.
Adichie also emphasizes that the single story creates stereotypes. The issue with stereotypes isn’t that they are completely untrue but that they are incomplete, turning one limited view into the only view.
We are all made up of multiple stories, and we have the power to bring more diverse narratives into the world. By doing so, we can ensure that more balanced and inclusive stories are visible, available, and heard.
This is one of the reasons why we decided to focus on the Future of Humanity in Davos. We invite you to join the discussion here – or to start Co-Creating the Future with us here. After all, the more perspectives and stories we include, the richer and more holistic our shared future will become.
Creative recommendations from the global communities:
- PLEASE DO NOT join the Moonshot Celebration! 🚀✨
- Join Us for The Future of Humanity at Davos!Discover how technology is reshaping the human experience at The Future of Humanity Art Walk (if you are an artists, we are looking forward to receiving your art pieces), a groundbreaking exhibition during the World Economic Forum in Davos. Explore visionary art, thought-provoking themes, and engage in a transformative interactive dialogue about humanity’s future.
- Join us at the 4th Virtual Conference of the Possibility Studies Network where I will talk about Reimagining Possibilities Beyond Earth with https://moonshotcelebration.com/ More about the conference and registration here. Constance de Saint Laurent Vlad Glaveanu Possibility Studies Network
- Join me for Creative Renaissance: Reignite Your Creativity, Reclaim Your Vitality, and Overcome Any Adversity.
#FutureOfHumanity #Davos #DavosWeek2025 #Creativity #Innovation #AI #NewTechnologies #Ethics #Society #Collaboration
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