Salocin

Forum 21, 2005

For the last four years, I have been privileged to attend Forum 21, an inspiring meeting of minds that occurs annually in France. Bringing together a varied and eclectic mixture of diplomats, businessmen, writers, aid workers, politicians and scientists, this small (never more than 200) group of individuals meet annually to share ideas, visions of the world and perspectives on global issues in almost every field.

This years’ agenda was as varied as ever, and covered matters as diverse as advances and changes in medicine (both scientific and politoeconomic), the future of Russia, recent developments, initiatives and new hope in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, tributes to Einstein, aspects of mathematics, and the relationship of math to art (including an eye-opening perspective on the work of Jackson Pollock), aid and economic development, and a view of the major economic and geopolitical challenges for the coming 20 years.

What sets this event apart is the combined expertise of the participants (some of whom are global authorities in their fields), the breadth of issues raised and the attitude that surrounds the discussion. Having been to business school, I have seen aggressive questioning taken to extremes and in the classrooms of the big MBA schools, the questions all too often have as their goal the demonstration of intelligence and knowledge on the part of the questioner. Despite the august individuals in the room, this hardly ever happens in Forum 21. Listening is the norm, questions leverage the intelligence and knowledge of the panellists rather than the ego of the inquisitor, and a genuine respect for individuals and their opinions runs so deep that to mention it feels like stating the obvious.

The rules of the conference prohibit the participants from describing the discussions that happen within unless permission is first obtained from the participants themselves, and I have no desire to go into the detail of the discussions because I cannot do justice to the presentation skills, experience or eloquence of the individuals concerned. The context of the Forum, specifically the sense that we are all equals and everyone has something to contribute, is crucial to the interactions, and I think republishing words verbatim (were it even permitted) would fail to transmit the essential qualities of the discussions. You had to be there.

It is vastly reassuring to see thought leaders and intellectuals, politicians and opinion-makers come together and discuss the problems in the world with such deep understanding, such a willingness to grow that understanding further, and an ability to convey their insight to others. In so constructive a climate, one can almost believe that the aspirational solutions and situations that are described at this event and are so appealing in theory may one day be reality.