AI Update from the Chancellor
25. November 2023
Project Week: Empowering Businesses for Poverty Eradication
5. February 2024
Dear Friends of New European College,
In 1991 the commercial internet went public. Still very much the domain of techies and nerds, hardly anyone anticipated what impact it would have on the way we work, live, study, travel, consume and (endless list…).
Having had the luck to go online right at the start, I understood that this new “tool” in humanity’s toolbox, thanks to its simplicity in giving us access to information and the speed with which we can communicate would make our world a better place.
Despite of what you might think and generally thanks to our myopia towards good news and facts, our world has gotten a much safer, healthier, and civilized place to live. I know, it sounds weird, but these are facts. Don’t believe me have a look.
The World is a Better Place, so don’t be Ignorant:
- Life is Expectancy is going Up for the past 200 years!!!
- Global Income Inequality has gone down!!!
- Child Mortality continues to fall!!!
If you want to test your ignorance to the positive you will enjoy this presentation “How not to be ignorant about the world” from Hans Rosling very much.
In my naivety back in the 90s I thought “Wow, the internet will save me so much time” for see all the above-mentioned list.
But then it turns out that you can spend literally hours researching any desired product and suddenly have to deal not only with the endless information by the manufacturers, comparison websites, affiliated marketing websites and users reviews on the core product features, but also with aspects like is the company sustainable, do they have good customer service, and so on…
Overall so many variables were added to the equation that I as a consumer was overwhelmed and often ended not buying something as I could not make up my mind.
If you ever wondered, what the origin of the one day off per week, you have never worked on a farm.
Regardless, of the season of the year, agricultural work is a 7-day work week.
For those that have forgotten, until the middle of the 19th century the dominant economy and what made us survive was agriculture. It was only with the industrial revolution that this slowly and then rapidly changed:
The quick thinkers among you have probably figured out, if you work 7 days per week there is not enough time to fully dedicate yourself to God. Thus if you look into the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) you will find that one day per week was declared the day the of rest and prayer. And it seems even the Babylonians some five thousand years ago, had a day off.
Well, the internet has taken us back to being farmers, as in this world in order to stay up-to-date and competitive you really must dedicate yourself 7 days per week.
For all those that are shocked now, well, the truth is your definition of work is outdated, as for most people associate working with going to work and not with thinking, preparing, learning, and doing sports.
And this is where Sunday enters the scene.
And if you ask what this has to do with work, you are probably a no risk rent seeker that is moving dominantly sideways in life. On top of that you are probably bound to the traditional work-life boundaries and deep inside you are ignoring reality.
For all others, especially as those that run a business can relate, Sunday is the day with an emphasis on preparation, continuous learning, maintaining a competitive edge and building the mental and physical resilience and endurance that this new world of work demands.
So regardless of if you are a student, an entrepreneur or an intrapreneur make sure that your Sunday becomes your new Monday.
A little hint – it has more to-do with having a prepared mindset than with “classical farm work”.
So don’t forget, Sunday is the new Monday!
Best regards from Munich,
Sascha Liebhardt
