Only Two Years To Secure The Future For Our Species ... and the Universe
The Most Important Moment In Human History
Futurist John L. Petersen speaks at TransitionTALKS
Saturday, January 18th, 2025
1:00-5:00pm ET
in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia
or via LIVESTREAM!
It’s now obvious that the increasingly unhinged chaos that has rapidly grown around us throughout our lifetimes is certainly orchestrated. It’s not random or “organic”.
A sequential series of fundamental changes, laid down one after another over a century, if not hundreds of years, have degraded, even captured, all aspects of our physical environment (air, water, soil, food), electromagnetic spectrum, education, culture, health, science, religion and more. It has been an all-spectrum, systematic assault, a soft coup against human life, that is culminating in an extraordinary moment in history where we as a species, have one last opportunity to turn an aspect of the future in a new direction toward a revolutionary new world… even as most of the world rapidly careens toward a dystopian end.
This moment has immense implications, and opportunity. It seems to literally be a potential turning point for the universe… but only if we rise to the occasion and do what we need to, to set a different course for the segment of humanity that has the potential to establish the foundation for a new, different world.
If we don’t do what we need to do, all of the human species will be captured in the pervasive and invasive digital net and extraction will be impossible. That would be the beginning of the end of the Pure Humans, (in Gregg Braden terms).
It’s easy to focus on all of the political, economic and other narratives that swirl around us, promising one or another variation of disaster. But we can’t afford to fall for the magician trick of being attracted to the diversion and missing the most important thing that is transpiring. In this case, there is a much bigger issue at stake… literally the future of humanity.
We have a limited amount of time to get our arms around the essence of this new understanding and transfer that knowledge into rapid action that could derail the present trends.
This is of utmost importance. More so than any other time in our lives and you have a unique opportunity to both understand the big picture… and start building a personal plan for contributing to a dramatic change in the direction of the future.
If you have always known that you had an important role to play in the evolution of life on this planet, John Petersen’s 18th of January TransitionTalk will provide you with the most significant opportunity available, to be a part of the beginning of the most important human movement in history. Do join us in Berkeley Springs or via livestream.
John L. Petersen is considered by many to be one of the most informed futurists in the world. He is best-known for writing and thinking about high impact surprises (wild cards) and the process of surprise anticipation. His current professional involvements include the development of sophisticated tools for anticipatory analysis and surprise anticipation, long-range strategic planning and helping leadership design new approaches for dealing with the future.
He has led national non-profit organizations, worked in sales, manufacturing, real estate development, and marketing and advertising, mostly for companies he founded. A graduate electrical engineer, he has also promoted rock concerts; produced conventions; and worked as a disc jockey, among other things.
Mr. Petersen’s government and political experience include stints at the National War College, the Institute for National Security Studies, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council staff at the White House. He was a naval flight officer in the U.S. Navy and Navy Reserve and is a decorated veteran of both the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars.
He has served in senior positions for a number of presidential political campaigns and was an elected delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1984. He was twice the runner-up to be Secretary of the Navy.
In 1989, Petersen founded The Arlington Institute (TAI), a non-profit, future-oriented research institute. TAI operates on the premise that effective thinking about the future is impossible without casting a very wide net. The “think tank” serves as a global agent for change by developing new concepts, processes and tools for anticipating the future and translating that knowledge into better present-day decisions.
Using advanced information technology, a core group of bright thinkers and an international network of exceptionally curious people along with simulations, modeling, scenario building, polling and analysis, Arlington helps equip leaders and organizations from many disciplines with tools and actionable perspectives for dealing with uncertain times.
An award-winning writer, Petersen’s first book, The Road to 2015: Profiles of the Future was awarded Outstanding Academic Book of 1995 by CHOICE Academic Review, and remained on The World Future Society’s best-seller list for more than a year.
His Out of the Blue: How to Anticipate Wild Cards and Big Future Surprises book was also a WFS best-seller. His latest book, A Vision For 2012: Planning for Extraordinary Change, was published in 2007. Mr. Petersen’s coauthored article, The Year 2000: Social Chaos or Social Transformation?, was one of the most highly acclaimed writings on Y2K. His 1988 book-length report The Diffusion of Power: An Era of Realignment was used at the highest levels of American government as a basis for strategic planning. He has also written papers on the future of national security and the military, the future of energy and the future of the media.
Petersen is a past board member of the World Future Society, wrote on the future of aviation for Professional Pilot magazine and was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation. He is a former network member of the Global Business Network and a fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science.
A provocative public speaker, he addresses a wide array of audiences around the world on a variety of future oriented subjects. When he is not writing or speaking, Petersen invests in and develops resources for large, international projects and advanced technology start-up companies. He lives in the Washington, D.C. area in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia.
