At the World Economic Forum (WEF ) in Davos this year, the theme was “The Fourth Industrial Revolution.” As always, I began preparing for the annual intellectual training camp in the Swiss Alps on my Finnair flight from Helsinki to Zurich.

This time I did it by reading The Fourth Industrial Revolution by WEF founder and executive chairman Klaus Schwab, whose book reminded me how the first industrial revolution, which spanned a century from the mid-1700s onwards, marked the transition from muscle power to mechanical power while the second industrial revolution (late 19th century to early 20th century) saw the invention of electricity and the assembly line.

The third industrial revolution began in the 1960s and has often been called the computer or digital revolution because it was catalysed by the development of semiconductors, mainframe computing, personal computing, and finally the internet in the 1990s.

Schwab’s argument is that the fourth industrial revolution began at the turn of this century and builds on the digital revolution. Characterised by mobile internet, smaller and more powerful sensors, artificial intelligence and machine learning, this revolution is unlike anything mankind has experienced before. It will change the way we live, work and relate to each other. Artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things, 3D printing, nano- and biotechnology, new forms of energy, material science and quantum computing are changing the world faster than we realise.

The revolution will disrupt business (it already has). It will also change the way we manufacture, transport, consume, produce, and trade. Think about it. Facebook does not provide content, Uber does not own taxis (well, not yet any way) and Airbnb does not own real estate.

Do you remember life before the smart phone? Well, my kids don’t. Their kids will probably not remember the time before a 3D printer provided them with new sneakers, self-driving electric cars took them to school, and all payments were electronic and guaranteed through a block chain.

The fourth industrial revolution will also change the way in which we work. Some studies estimate that half of today’s jobs will be taken over by machines by 2030. This will have far-reaching economic, political, and sociological implications. We will have to work smarter, not harder.

At the end of the day, everything will depend on how we manage this huge change, including the accompanying moral and ethical issues — from nano robot surgery to gene manipulation and robot soldiers and the inevitable winners and losers of the transformation.

As always, we can approach the fourth industrial revolution as tech-optimists or tech-pessimists. The optimist embraces the change and looks for solutions. The pessimist hits the brakes and reverts back to old ways.

The more technology advances, the more emotional intelligence and empathy come to the fore. The only thing we can’t be is realistic. Why? Because the only thing limiting this revolution is our imagination and machines.

Welcome to the future.

Det finns två sätt att beskriva Finlands situation i början av 2016.

Det första sättet är pessimistiskt. Finlands ekonomi har inte vuxit på fyra år. Staten och kommunerna ökar sina skulder. Den politiska situationen är spänd.

Regeringen måste spara i offentlig service. Det blir en vinter och en vår med svåra beslut. Kinas och Rysslands ekonomi försvagas. Asylsituationen är svår. Finland lider av en apatisk stämning. Alla förändringsförslag möts av ett nej!

Det andra är optimistiskt. I år förväntas Finlands ekonomi växa med drygt 1 procent. De privata investeringarna förstärker tillväxten. Stora investeringsprojekt är i gång. Regeringen driver strukturella reformer med kraft.

Euroområdet växer. Den europeiska centralbankens expansiva penningpolitik och det låga oljepriset främjar tillväxt. Finlands strukturella konkurrenskraft är fortfarande jämförelsevis bra. Nya företag grundas.

De närmaste sex månaderna kommer att bli en kamp mellan pessimisterna och optimisterna. Regeringen står nämligen inför kolossala beslut som i grund och botten bestämmer Finlands riktning.

Själv är jag en optimist. Jag tror på en vändning. Samtidigt är jag en realist. Vändningen sker inte av sig själv, den måste genomföras.En vändning genomförs inte utan förändring. Och tyvärr är en förändring alltid svår.

I Finland håller vi på att förändra arbetsmarknaden, social- och hälsovården samt kommunalpolitiken, allt på en gång. Samtidigt minskar vi kommunernas uppgifter och driver igenom stora besparingar.

Dessa förändringar kommer att möta motstånd. Det är förståeligt att besparingar i offentlig service inte känns bra.

Oppositionen gör sitt jobb med att kritisera åtgärderna. Fackföreningarna vill behålla sin roll på arbetsmarknaden. Kommunerna omvärderar nya uppgifter.

Situationen är lik den vi hade i början på 1990-talet. Då vågade regeringarna driva igenom stora strukturella förändringar även när det fick till följd att populariteten sjönk.

En svår tid kräver modiga beslut och åtgärder. Ett nytt lyft kräver optimism och framtidtro.

Finland har båda.

I often get asked how I deal with hate and unfair criticism. In my line of work as a politician I end up getting a fair share of both. It’s part of the job: the tougher the times, the tougher the feedback.

In the beginning of my career many colleagues told me that time thickens the skin. The standing joke is that a politician’s skin grows so thick that he does not need a spine.

I never believed in that. We are all sensitive to criticism, whether from friends, foes, or the public.It’s natural. The brain is linked to our soul. Positive is better than negative.

The problem is that we remember negative feedback more vividly than positive encouragement. Florida State University professor and social psychologist Roy Baumeister tells us that the brain needs five positive events to make up for one negative one.

I’m sure we can all relate to that. Positive feedback is nice. It gives you a good feeling. Negative feedback ignites the opposite emotion.

The beauty of free speech and democracy is that everyone is allowed to express themselves.A person in a position of influence must be able to tolerate criticism. Sometimes it might feel unfair, but you just have to deal with it.

So, how to do it? The first thing to understand is that you will never be able to please everyone. The more you express yourself, the more some people will criticize you and your actions. The greater your impact, the more criticism you will get.

The second thing to remember is that many haters direct their unhappiness onto others. Think about it. If you are unhappy, do you blame yourself or someone else? My natural inclination is to look at others until I find the real cause – in the mirror.

Third, the best way to fight against hate and negative feelings is to embrace them with love. This might sound naive, but I firmly believe that good will always prevail. There is more good than bad in this world. If this were not the case, then most of the news would be good.

Being negative or cynical is the easy way out. British statesman Winston Churchill famously said: “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.”

I have always been an optimist. Smile and you will be smiled at.