DAY 8
Yesterday the students were endowed with the presence of Subi Rangan, INSEAD’s Professor of Strategy and Management. He led them through the realms of politics, economics, philosophy and strategy. The professor challenged the students with assignments and thought provoking questions.
A piece by counselor Daisy Ward, who was especially encapsulates the essence of yesterday’s lecturer:
Would you rather be Kim Kardashian or Elon Musk? This is the first question that Subi posed today. Looking around the room it appeared about a 40-60 split Kim to Elon. Many of the students noted the massive influence Kim had over popular culture or the huge economic power of Musk, but no one really considered the importance of what these people stood for. This ultimately became the grounding point for the discussions of the day, how should we examine the moral positioning of countries, politicians, companies and more importantly ourselves. Through a mix of moral philosophy and practical cases Subi encouraged the students to think critically about the decisions major firms like Apple, Google and the UN take, and whether these decisions reflect the wishes of the firm or the needs of humanity. Subi’s talk provided a powerful contrast to the weeks previous talks and took a critical examination of the structures that dominate capitalism and democracy. Though many of these ideas were difficult to grasp the students coped well and enjoyed the questioning of their own and other’s moral guidelines. The day concluded on a note of hope for the future and for our generation. The moral guidelines of our society are shifting into a new paradigm whereby we move from a prioritisation of personal and economic success towards greater consideration of the longevity of both our planet and society. Ultimately forcing the students to consider what their role would be in either leading or opposing the changes we need in today’s world.
The rest of the day passed in a blur of naps, semi-stolen ice-creams, late-night gossip under the stars and last minute YFCD preparations for today’s many negotiations. The evening wasn’t nearly as eventful as the other days have been since everybody (including (or rather – especially) the counsellors) was recuperating from Saturday’s paintball/zip-lining and talent show. It had been an intense weekend and yesterday’s recovery day was as highly-needed as it was well deserved.