02 · In my own words

Who is Stefan Rohner?

IRoots

Stefan Rohner was born and raised in the 1960s in a very large Swiss family of watchmakers, engineers, architects, designers, inventors, musicians, artists, doctors, and independent, evangelical missionaries, uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends of my parents, doing good work around the world in the name of the Good Lord. People not principally interested in money. Not to say I don’t approve of wealth and power. My grandfather, after all, was a wealthy man who founded a watch company more than 120 years ago, but he also supported an orphanage in Southern Italy at the same time.

Let your good fortune equally serve a greater purpose.

IINature

Religion, however, is too confusing for me to understand, so I stick to nature. This is my guide in life. And it has worked very well for me so far. For that reason, I’m very interested in science, culture, politics, social justice, economics, and everything that makes this world go round and round. Therefore, early on in my life, John Lennon became my idol.

IIIMentors and idols

Now, looking back on my life as a naturalized US citizen based in Brooklyn, NY, working as a Designer and Furniture Maker for the rich and famous, I think Anthony Bourdain surpassed John Lennon in his humanity. Before these two, Mahatma Gandhi and Jesus Christ were my mentors. Of course, Nelson Mandela also joined that club of idols I keep in my life to this day.

However, Bourdain incorporated everything I hold dear. His boundless curiosity, tremendous courage, respect, discretion, and most of all, his brutal honesty if necessary. Even with himself and the people he loved most.

VTechnology

We have evolved into nearly android primates, controlled by algorithms through the smart phones we hold in our hands 24/7.

Now, Mark Zuckerberg and Ray-Ban are working hard to put this technology permanently on top of our noses and in front of our eyes, connecting us to Artificial Intelligence day and night.

And Elon Musk wants to go even further, using brain implants that can read our minds and thoughts, and turn them into physical action. In fact, his pal Peter Thiel’s Palantir Technologies can already read and direct our minds using data available to its AI agents’ algorithms.

Do we all really want to become Commander Spock, C-3PO or R2-D2?
I don’t think so.

VIEarth first

Let’s first solve the problems we face on Planet Earth before we establish a colony on the Moon. Remember, it stabilizes our planet’s orbit around the Sun, and we could blow it up with a nuclear accident that could happen up there just as much as it did in Fukushima and Chernobyl.

Mars and the rest of the universe can wait for us a few more light-years. Don’t you think so?