▶▶2016
20 Goals for the Next 20 Years
David remains active as ever. Here are his 20 ideas for the next 20 years that he would like to be a part of…
1. Remain a true citizen of the world with roots in China and strong commitments to Switzerland.
David would like to go to even more places, taking in much more from our planet, and having a much better understanding of our shared communities. These could be anything from the next village, all the way through to the neighbouring continents. Whilst remaining true to his commitments by birth and by nationality, he’d also like to remain true to the wider world communities.
2. Tell the Chinese story as true as possible.
There’s no doubt that the 21st century is the Chinese Century. But people will get nowhere if they remain entrenched in dated misperceptions of the Asian giant. David is interested in telling Chinese stories as true as possible, from as many topics as possible. With many years in Beijing, Zürich and London, David sees things from a unique perspective, and always comes with his very own points of views on all topics. It’s time to see China from a fresh new perspective.
3. Showcase a picture of a Switzerland that goes beyond chocolate, trains, and army knives.
The Swiss story is rich in milk, chocolate, cows, trains, and mountains, but there’s so much more about Switzerland. David would like showcase novel Swiss stories, from world-leading design to what your next-door neighbour in the country has dear and near to him (or her). Swiss cities consistently make it to the top of many a list. There should be much more from these A-list cities than just “the usual stereotypes”.
4. Make the City of Beijing the City of the Future.
The city of Beijing somehow manages to surpass London, if not (only) for the food, then for the very rich history. As the capital in the East, David would like to be an active part of Beijing in making it the City of the Future in every way conceivable. Beijing gave him birth, and he’d like to do that little bit extra to give back to his city.
5. Keep Beijing, London, and Zürich talking to one other.
David has been in all of these cities for many years, and is willing to get those cities talking to one other. He’s also willing to start the talk, with stories to be published about all of his cities. He is further willing to be part of events promoting dialogue and understanding between these cities.
6. Put “stories on wheels” across China and Europe.
David will continue his trips on the rails, and he’d like to add a camera, a microphone, and stories to the journey. He’d like you to experience cities in China and Europe from the subway lines and HSR routes and discover cities from an entirely novel way.
7. Host and tell onstage the greatest stories in the world.
David never knew he was born for the stage; following his discovery at age 14, he’s now more sure than ever that he’d like to stay there, sharing the best stories in the world and hosting the greatest events. He believes presenting, as is speaking, are all an art, or arts, and that the world remains hungry for stories that inspire. He’d like to host the inspirers, the dreamers, the people that will shape tomorrow for the better, on stage, and to also speak to move the world forward.
8. Make education a magnet for self-improvement.
Only too few people tend to hurry to their first day in school with a smile. But that shouldn’t be the case. Education, and learning, should be a magnet for self-improvement; the schools (and the universities, and libraries) should remain “the water hole” for those thirsty and in search of fresh ideas and knowledge. Last-century-ish concepts such as rigid testing and overly-strict discipline should replaced with motivational teaching and a desire for all to build upon what they have, thus improving their achievements.
9. Live every day as a considerate earthling, in full respect of all beings.
There needs to be a better, and more responsible, way of living than to vroom a diesel-crunching road monster in low gear every day. All of us — humans and nature — are in this together; there needs to be a way of living where all of us, as earthlings, can learn to give each other more space. We need to be “generation earthling”, taking care of one other more.
10. Improve usability experiences so they’re more human.
David has had his fair share of #epicFAIL interfaces and wants to spare you from them! In any thing he shall design, he wants to stay true to a usability design that is as human-centred as possible. This could mean anything from a flyer on trains, to “the right way” to design Keynote presentations.
11. Document how technology is making a difference for all in China.
Technology is transforming lives, and it’s time to document how the microchip is changing how we go about our lives. Carrying forward from a commitment started as early as 2002, David will continue to be involved in the tech world in Beijing.
12. Make sense of media systems in China and across the globe.
Being part of the “world behind the controls” since 2004, David’s passion for media is as visible and felt as ever. With both academic and practical knowledge of “the system”, he’d like to chronicle China’s media world in a way never done before, and to expand that to the rest of the world.
13. Inspire people to “do the right things” from early on.
Education and knowledge are powerful things. And David would like to make use of them in positive ways so to influence people to do things that are acceptable and appreciated, both within their communities, and also in the wider world. In all of his commitments, he would like to encourage people to be more considerate, respectful, and responsible, and encourage them to be an active, positive part of the communities they belong to.
14. Make Chinese and English the most important languages of our time.
David encourages the development of multicultural and multilingual societies, but he also realises the potential Chinese and English has as the leading world languages in the present era. He’d like to introduce Chinese to the world, and English to China. He is actively involved in promoting the use of proper English for China, and to encourage the outside world to pick up on Chinese in a most-natural method as possible. Along with this, he also encourages multilingual societies to keep their own languages alive, including the many dialects of China, Rumantsch in Switzerland, and much more.
15. Get people moving around the planet, armed with the right amount of knowledge.
After nearly a hundred immigration stamps, David knows how hard it can be to clear hurdles at borders. He also has been doing things he thought were “normal” in one part of the world, only to be given the evil eye by locals. Nobody is perfect! However, David does believe we can all learn from experience, and to this end, he is willing to share the essentials with the rest of the planet so that we all get from A to B faster, better, and more informed — and being more respectful beings to one other.
16. Share the airwaves with the world.
David is no “mic hogger”! He prefers that the studio, the messages, the conversation be shared with as wide an audience as possible. In his new media programmes, currently being developed, he’d like to make you part of shows in a brand new way: to encourage the more active you to be part of the studio.
17. Make books fun and accessible. Make reading inspiring.
David prefers to author books that are easy to read, friendly, accessible, and make sense to the readership, be they toddlers or academics. He also wants to make reading inspiring — he believes this shouldn’t be relegated to, say, building novel concoctions out of Lego! Books ought to inform, inspire, and enrich knowledge, and this is exactly how he goes about this.
18. Be a scholar of love and responsibility.
The moment David steps onto the stage in the classroom, he wants to deliver inspiration and get minds moving and thinking — instead of boring people. Rather than stopping students with fresh new ideas, he is much more for them setting their minds free with novel ideas. Even if they’ve failed a module, he wants to use patience and love and tell them it’s not the end of the world. And he would like to inspire young minds as a responsible scholar, and be responsible to those he shall teach, guide, and mentor.
19. To love all, and to be a coach of love and encouragement.
David has been through “greyer days before”. Those weren’t the best days of his life. He increasingly favours an active, dynamic lifestyle, but also likes to be around people that guide him in a caring and encouraging manner — much like one of his teachers in 8th grade. He likes it when he’s encouraged, and likes to pass that love and encouragement to all. He understands everyone is unique, and thus would like to help people be better in their own ways.
20. To be part of a family filled with love.
David is loved by his family, especially by his wife, and he’d like to give back with even more love. His family of love would like to shape the world in such a way that people are given more love, which translates to a happier and more productive life. His family would like to be involved in doing more for the benefit of society at large.