We live in challenging times, but humanity has faced adversities for centuries.
There was a time when huge swathes of the globe were shrouded in mystery. In those days, brave explorers ventured into the unknown. They faced rough seas and uncharted forests, and some of those early explorers took the time to draw lines on parchment, creating maps so that others could follow in their footsteps.
Mapmakers played a vital role in expanding our horizons. For those who followed the pioneers and mapmakers, the formula for success was simple: follow the map, stay on the beaten path, and you will reach your destination.
Coming back to today, we find ourselves in a completely different era. We have incredible maps for many aspects of our lives. It’s not that our maps are incomplete; it’s that the terrain we tread is itself changing so rapidly that maps become obsolete.
Industries are transforming overnight, technology is evolving at breakneck speed, and the career paths our parents trod are being redrawn in real time.
Based on a recent Unesco report, the world produces some 40 to 50 million tertiary graduates per year, so what do we do when the maps at our disposal no longer work?
To step into the world not just as navigators but as shapers of the future, we need to become the mapmakers.
To draw a map in a shifting world, you need a fixed point – a North Star. Besides technical expertise, you should work on exploring and documenting your purpose. I call this an “impact statement” – a defining declaration of who you are and the change you want to bring to the world.
When the career landscape gets chaotic and the terrain shifts beneath your feet, your purpose is the anchor that will keep you from drifting. It doesn’t matter if the path changes, as long as your destination remains true. In a mapless world, your purpose is your compass.
Balancing confidence with humility
In an age saturated with information, we must realise that not all of it is wisdom. Disinformation and misinformation travel faster than reflection. Opinions are amplified before they are examined. Certainty is often louder than truth.
You must learn to think deeply. Not just to react, but to reflect. Not just to consume information, but to evaluate it through the lens of your values and your purpose. And when you do form a view, hold it strongly, not blindly.
An eighth-century scholar, Imam Al-Shafi’i, beautifully captured this balance 1,300 years ago when he said: “I believe my view is right with the possibility of error, and I believe the view of others is wrong with the possibility of being right.”
Have the courage to stand firm in your convictions, but keep the humility to pivot when you discover you are wrong. In a mapless world, rigidity is fatal; adaptability is survival.
The art of questioning
We must look at how we interact with the knowledge of our time. In the past, we relied on search engines, which were tools that enabled us to sift through data to find information. Today, we live in the era of answering engines. Artificial intelligence can give us immediate answers to almost anything.
But an answer is only as good as the prompt that pulled it into existence. Because answers have become a commodity, the ability to ask better questions will be the ultimate key to success. Do not just settle for the first answer the world gives you. Ask why, what if and who does this serve?
The quality of your life and the the maps you will draw will be determined by the quality of the questions you dare to ask. In a mapless world, questions will open the doors to new opportunities.
The open road ahead might look intimidating. There are no step-by-step guides, no pre-drawn routes and no guarantees. Do not be afraid of the blank spaces on the globe. Remember that you are today’s brave young explorers.
You have your purpose, you have critical minds shaped by your university studies, and you have the capacity to ask great, deep and insightful questions. Go out there, trust your compass, and start drawing. The world is waiting for your map.
PROF MUSHTAK AL-ATABI
Provost & CEO
Heriot-Watt University Malaysia;
Chairman of the Vice-Chancellors’ Council for Private Universities Malaysia
