06/01/2025
Happy 2025 🎉 After 8 years of highs and lows, which is still less than half of our 'First 23-Year Vision' (if we ever make it that far.. haha), we have achieved much, yet we have so much more to do.
With only 17% of SDG targets on track and 17% getting worse with less than 5 years left to the 2030 deadline, as a civilization, we now have an 'F' grade.
𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍
Failure to double on our Mission in 'Growing Grounded Innovators through Nature, Tech and Community' as a larger ecosystem across humanity could mean that our wicked problems remain unresolved and our best talents unmotivated to solve them preferring to pursue pure profits for only shareholders, instead of community stakeholders. Ironically, we would fail our children and our grandchildren, while we insist they score A+ in their exams. How we perform on Earth is the real exam.
𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐕𝐈𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍
What did the world achieve 23 years after Google was founded in 1998? Significantly much. Could GUILD last long enough to achieve our 'First 23-Year Vision' given that 90% of startups fail? We don't know as there are 'black swans' like COVID-19 on the horizon among many other reasons that could make us fail including ourselves. Having said that, our sincere hope is to see more CHI: Communities at the Heart of Innovation. If it comes with a SOUL like a Sustainable Open University of Life, why not.. it would be a cool bonus! Living in a world where citizens like you and I can GIVE and BUILD freely would be awesome too!
𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐕𝐀𝐋𝐔𝐄𝐒
Whether we achieve our 'First 23-Year Vision' or not is secondary. Our late mentor Lai Hock reminded us that it is more key to be Grounded in our everyday lives like a Thinker, a Warrior and a Farmer. Having walked this Path, it is not easy as we struggle with our imperfections, but we persevere because such a vision demands the best of us.
Will we fail? Of course, we will. Almost all important experiments experience failure when breaking new grounds. We'll learn and continue to iterate again like a Groundbreaker would because we can. To more failures and successes in our remaining 15 years to our 'First 23-Year Vision' deadline!
But first, let's all work hard for the next 5 years to at least score a 'B+' for our 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) so that we don't literally burn, drown or starve ourselves on Earth.
Gotta get back to work, y'all! Wishing you a fruitful and purposeful year ahead 🌳 สู้ต่อไป 💪
