Friday 5 February 2010

The Long Now

The highlight of my week (in fact, the high light of my year so far) was seeing Brian Eno, one of my all-time heroes, speak at a conference on the reform of the financial system.

The Long Now Foundation has started a Long Finance project to look at long range planning and investment. Someone who is twenty years old today, can expect to live until they are 95. So at the very least, we need a financial system that looks seventy-five years ahead. And that's only one generation.

I was very encouraged that 400 people, mostly from banking and investment, turned up for the day, and took the ideas very seriously.

Brian Eno managed to make U2 interesting. Compared to that, reforming the banking system should not be especially difficult.

6 comments:

Russell CJ Duffy said...

The term genius is an over used expression but nonetheless, Brian Eno is a candiate for such an epithet as he is a very talented man.
Long term planning has always been the driving force behind both the German and Japanese economies and although I will NOT be drawn, as so many are, into suddenly condeming everything this government have done or, again as many are doing, talking us down into a far worse situation than we really face BUT...we do need to plan for the future far more than we do as anyone of my generation of babyboomers will testify with pensions and retirement loaming.

Russell CJ Duffy said...

Looming even

Mel said...

wow....you have a highlight for the year already! :-)

Anonymous said...

I'm going to live until I'm 95!?!?

Gordie said...

Don't worry, Steph. I will take care of you.

Anonymous said...

*phew*