What helps us to live life forwards?

It was the Danish philosopher Kierkegaard who said that,

'Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.'

My understanding of life has been deepened just a little by a conversation I had on The Responsible Edge with Charlie Martin CEO of the Anti-Greenwash Charter.

Charlie got me talking about earlier experiences of my life, starting with the influence of my parents.  We talked about failure, and my belief that no experience is wasted,  however negative it may feel at the time. We went on to discuss the path to founding Tomorrow’s Company and all it stands for. I explained the priority we are now giving to helping young people to gain their own early experience, while still at school, so they can be helped to live forward. We explored  how our education system could go beyond the “factory model” of knowledge and better equip its students to thrive in an uncertain world.

We also talked about the latest twists in the story of Ben & Jerry’s, and what founders of businesses may learn from the sale of that company to Unilever,  and the current disillusionment  of its founders. 

Here is a link. Here is a summary of the interview and here is a brief clip.

Mark Goyder is the Founder of Tomorrow’s Company and Senior Advisor to the Board Intelligence Think Tank. He is the co-author, with Ong Boon Hwee, of Entrusted – Stewardship For Responsible Wealth Creation, published by World Scientific.