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Manila Bulletin devider World devider Resilience, good people needed as world shifts to new civilization - Trudeau

Resilience, good people needed as world shifts to new civilization - Trudeau

Published Sep 9, 2025 03:22 pm
Canada’s 23rd Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the 26th World Knowledge Forum in Seoul, South Korea on Sept. 9, 2025.
Canada’s 23rd Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the 26th World Knowledge Forum in Seoul, South Korea on Sept. 9, 2025.
SEOUL, South Korea - With Artificial Intelligence (AI) and complex crises heralding the dawn of a new civilization, the world needs more resilience and communities of “good people” to survive the transition, former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday, Sept. 9.
Speaking at the 26th World Knowledge Forum (WKF) at the Jangchung, his first public appearance since he left office six months ago, Trudeau said he remains deeply optimistic about the future.
”I told you that the secret for why I’m optimistic about the future comes down to good people, and the good people are all of you. In this room are the leaders across industries, politics here and all around the world,” he added.
”To navigate the transition, resilience should be in the middle of it. We need every single person to be part of the resilient communities, societies, and systems,” he stressed.
The WKF carried the theme “New Odyssey: Navigating the Great Transition” inspired by Homer’s classic “Odyssey.”
Dr. Chang Dae-Whan, Chairman of Maekyung Media Group and founder of the WKF, said this year’s theme highlights knowledge and leadership “as our compass to overcome today’s crises and challenges, and find the right path for human civilization.
He cited Greek hero Odysseus’s wisdom that enabled him to overcome countless hardships.
”He breaks free from inertia, embracing adversity, and sets out in search of a new path. This has an important implication for us. In the face of upheaval, we are on the brink of losing our way. AI is a celebrated technology, but it also carries the potential for catastrophe,” Chang said.
Renowned scholar Jared Diamond analyzed that humanity now stands at a crossroads between decline and progress. At the heart of this turning point, he emphasized “collective knowledge.”
”It is the shared acceptance and selection of time-tested and accumulated knowledge that determines the rise or fall of civilizations,” Chang said.
”To harness the power of collective knowledge, we need a platform where intellectual discussions can flourish,” he added, as he offered the WKF to serve as that platform.
Chang said that throughout history, innovative technologies and crises have triggered major civilizational shifts.
As human civilization stands at a turning point, the existing order and systems are being called upon for a complete redesign, driven by the restructuring of the geopolitical landscape around major powers, the intensification of the climate crises and resource competition, and rapid demographic shifts.

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