Project Summary: The idea of the future being different from the present is so repugnant to our conventional modes of thought and behavior that we, most of us, offer a great resistance to acting on it in practice. John Maynard Keynes, 1937 What does the future hold and what does it mean to different organizations and communities? Strategic planning uses historical information from past events to prepare for the future. Scenarios help plan for significant changes for which the available data is limited and/or uncertain. Scenarios are said to be ideal for preparing for substantial changes by navigating through various potential events and determining different ways to respond to the scenarios. To complete: Read the scenarios and reflect on the future scenarios presented in Futurevision and in Global Trends 2040. responses to the following: Which scenario did you find most plausible and believable? Why? Looking at your long-term strategic goals for your organization, how might any one of these scenarios impact your organization and community? Watson, R., & Freeman, O. (2012). Futurevision: Scenarios for the world in 2040. Victoria, Australia: Scribe. Chapter 1, Forward, Into the Unknown: Why Scenario Planning? (pp. 1132) Chapter 2, The Theatre of the Future: Introducing the Four Futures (pp. 3340) Read any two of the following chapters: Chapter 3, Imagine: A World of Intelligence (pp. 4171) Chapter 4, Please Please Me: A World of Greed (pp. 72102) Chapter 5, Dear Prudence: A World of Temperance (pp. 103130) Chapter 6, Helter Skelter: A World of Fear (130159)