In 1998, British scholar Bruce Lloyd initiated a "Wisdom of the World" Web project in conjunction with the World Future Society. In this issue of THE FUTURIST, he discusses humanity's fundamental problem of understanding what wisdom really is and how little of it is either taught or learned. (See "The Wisdom of the World: Messages for the New Millennium," page 42 of the print edition.)

The business world puts an especially high price on wisdom as it is embodied in their executive leaders. The coming and going of these rare talents can greatly affect the stock prices of top companies, so getting and keeping exceptional talent has become a cutthroat enterprise, writes management consultant Robert Barner (see "Talent Wars in the Executive Suite: Six Trends Shaping Recruitment," page 35 of the print edition).

Individuals competing in this type of environment need more resources to find the best match for their talents and interests. Career counselor David C. Borchard describes a vision of future career centers, including holographic guides, virtual-reality interviews, and creative-thinking workshops to generate new ideas for career--and lifestyle--possibilities. (See "The Future High-Tech Career Center," page 22 of the print edition.)

Thinking more creatively is a key to imagining better futures for ourselves. Creativity expert Michael Michalko describes several techniques for breaking the thought patterns that limit our ability to find new solutions to problems. (See "Four Steps Toward Creative Thinking," page 18 of the print edition.)