Finding the pearls in questioning our futures

December 16, 2019 by Steve Gould

One of exciting futures workshops and keynote addresses that I experienced this year, was with the ‘Pearls of Policing Program’. This program brings together policing personal from across the globe to a central location. It is in this location that nature of serious futures questioning takes place. This questioning process is deliberate act to disrupt thinking and ways of knowing the future. It involves and demands from the individual both solace and courage. I had the privilege to facilitate this future as questioning and solace works in Norway and New York.

Policing is difficult, challenging, yet I sensed, very rewarding works. There is so much more involved that the observable presence of policing. There are many of us who value and appreciate the role of policing and most importantly the many contributions to a society. Equally, society too has its challenges, needs and makes rewarding contributions. If we are to answer the question of ” What does the future of policing look like?” then, we must first ask society, “how would society in context of policing, like to be policed and governed?” not only for today, more importantly into the future.

History has shown and continues to show how this symbiotic, yet mutually satisfying dynamic taking place between policing and society. So what will this relationship between the function of policing and society look like into the future? What issues does and will society bring to this relationship and what will it take to trigger asking for help? and might policing support look like?

We can safely assume, that we are now in a digital world and for some, not all societies, are connected in transparent and invisible ways. Ways which create relational spaces, however these spaces are now digital more than ever. So how does and will society support, govern and protect itself in the digital age? What expectations will we place on our policing functionality? How will we, as a society, decide what it is that needs protecting? In what ways will we evolve, resource and support our policing functions?

These and many more pertinent policing questions are currently being explored. The answers are signals in the noise, signals found from asking layered futures questions. Asking yourself futures questions is not for wimps, they are psychologically disruptive, yet are vitally important to reflect upon to invoke synthesised wisdoms. It takes courage and commitment, it takes acts of service to self. Service acts which are being performed by amazing people, from whom I humbly respect. Similarly, I likened these acts of service to that of the pearl divers, who risk their life for the pearls that society so much values