如何让达沃斯发挥实效

    在我动身前往达沃斯出席世界经济论坛（WEF）年会的前一天，有个电视节目摄制组对我进行了采访，作为今年达沃斯报道的开场节目。记者在寒暄时问我：“你对今年达沃斯论坛有何期望？”我回答说：“我希望今年的达沃斯能更乏味些。”好吧，我只想说的是，她没有取消这次采访，但我们的咖啡变冷了。

    达沃斯是一个疯狂的地方。短短五天之内就满满安排了200多场会议，2,000多名代表在街上穿来穿去，达沃斯小镇的每一个角落都安排了许多研讨会及各种会议，有太多的事情要做，也有太多的干扰。

    我把上述这些看法告诉我的一个朋友，他回复说：“呃，计划就是这样安排的。”全球诸多领导人以及诸如20国集团（G20,）、全球气候变化会议（Global Climate Change Conference）以及东盟会议（ASEAN）都竭尽全力要把你的注意力从诸多真正的问题上转移到别的地方。达沃斯论坛也是如此，他们把达沃斯论坛搞得过于忙乱，节奏过快，非常喧杂，而且非常光鲜闪耀，以至于没人可以停下来质疑或反思。

    这是否可以解释为什么全球大佬皆汇聚一堂，但达沃斯论坛每年都没有多少实际成果的原因呢？

    所有的政策制定者、成功的企业高管，以及很会赚钱的富豪们：他们都在那里。然而，他们忙于对着麦克风发言或接受采访，而且别忘了，飞机早已在超量预订的机场里等候他们。

    我想知道，现在是否到了关掉引擎的时候了呢？世界经济论坛太久以来一直都令人目眩神迷而且节奏飞快。现在是时候让世界经济论坛乏味些、节奏慢些。

    对于像我这样需要停止自我陶醉的与会代表而言，还有什么地方会比达沃斯更适合放慢节奏的呢？我认为，世界经济论坛的最大问题之一，就是有太多的人来达沃斯论坛发表讲话，而不是来聆听。但愿有更多的领导人只是来聆听、沉思，并且学习，那么达沃斯论坛就会成为一个更有意义的活动。

    不幸的是，今天，世界经济论坛反而成为一个“Facebook镇”。人们去达沃斯只是为了告诉全世界，自己是多么的伟大，并且通过在Facebook上获得数百万个“喜欢”来赢得即时满足感。这个阿尔卑斯山系小镇已成为Facebook的“看看我”综合症最强烈的体现。要是有更多的达沃斯论坛代表关心他人，那么他们就会愿意学习最佳方法、分享经验，并且寻找一些真正紧迫的全球性问题的解决办法。

    更加麻烦的是世界经济论坛的议程过多。按照任何标准来衡量，该论坛长达80页的日程表都实在是太多了。世界面临的诸多问题和困境绝对没有那么多种多样。为了检验这一假设，我向我在社交媒体网站上的受众提问，要求他们提出自己希望今年世界经济论坛领导人关注的问题。一个又一个的回复都提到了同样的简单事情：就业、可持续发展、腐败、恐怖主义、教育以及民众安全问题。

    A day before I left for Davos to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF), a TV crew interviewed me for a curtain raiser on the event. "What's your wish for WEF Davos this year?" the journalist asked me in our warm-up conversation. "I wish it's a bit more boring this year," I said. Well, let's just say she did not cancel the interview but our coffees went cold.

    Davos is a crazy place. With more than 200 sessions crammed into five days, over 2,000 delegates traversing the streets, plenty of workshops, meetings in every possible nook and corner of the town, there are too many things to do, too many distractions.

    I told this to a friend and he said, "Well, that's the plan." The global leaders and platforms like G20, Global Climate Change Conference, and the ASEAN conference are doing everything to take your attention away from the real issues. At Davos too, they make it too hectic, too fast, so loud, and so shiny that no one can pause to question or reflect.

    Does that explain why so little gets achieved at Davos every year, despite the fact that all the leaders who control the steering wheels to address the world's major problems are there?

    All the policy makers, rainmakers, and moneymakers: they're all there. But then again, they're too busy with the microphone, and let's not forget that the jet's already waiting for them in an overbooked bay.

    Has the time come to switch off the engines, I wonder? WEF's been fancy and exciting and fast for too long. It's time to make it boring and slow.

    What better place to slow things down than with Davos delegates like me who need to stop being enchanted with ourselves? One of the biggest problems of WEF, I believe, is that too many people come to Davos to talk and not to listen. If only more leaders came to just listen, reflect, and learn, the forum would then become a more meaningful event.

    Today, unfortunately, the WEF is a "Facebook town" instead. People only go to Davos to tell the world how great they are and get instant gratification by getting millions of "likes." The alpine town has become the most powerful embodiment of Facebook's "look at me!" syndrome. If only more Davos delegates were interested in others, they would care to learn best practices, share notes, and collaborate to find solutions to some truly pressing global problems.

    Adding to the trouble is the over-abundance of the WEF agenda. The event's 80-page program is too much by any standard. The world's problems and dilemmas are definitely not that diverse. To test the hypothesis, I asked my social media universe to nominate the issues they want the WEF leaders to focus on this year. Comment after comment cited the same, simple things: employment, sustainability, corruption, terrorism, education, and safety for the common man.