Vision of the Future

It is fun to think of things that might be. It is even better when thinking these thoughts we actually grasp a tiny picture of what that future can be and most likely will be.  After all, thinking of the future is a way of making it happen. I suspect that this is so because thinking of it prepares us for it and helps ease its way into being.

I have long been a futurist. That’s a person who peers into the long-term future and wonders how things will unfold and become a reality. It has been a career as well. I’ve actually earned a living being a futurist. My consulting career was in long-range strategic planning for organizations. Mostly non profit organizations, but successful ones! I like to think they were successful because they did dare to look into the future and dream where they would like to be one day and become a more successful organization.

Dreaming can lead to being more than what you are right now. It really can.

So, come along with me and dream a little of things that could be. Ought to be is a part of dreaming but pulls from an ethos that may or may not be well formed as yet. Values are often in flux and need exercise to give them form and shape. Just like planning for an organization. We plan to give hope to new possibilities and potential.  Here are some dreams we might aspire to…..

1. As a global community 

I dream of peace among all nations. I see a global community in which we work to meet the needs of all peoples. These needs are in health care, housing access, food supplies, clean drinking water, educational development and economies that provide a good quality of life. This dream can only become a reality if we are at peace. With safety we can invent solutions to so many problems. In doing that we demonstrate our love and respect for each other. But first we have to get along. Can we?

2. As a nation of justice and courage 

I dream of justice and acceptance of diverse peoples and beliefs. Courage is needed to make this dream come true. We must sense others do not mean us harm. That takes courage. All of us deserve to be valued as an independent human being. Living in a manner to make that happen – for self and others – is an act of great courage. But that is the baseline of justice in our society. Diversity of talent, wealth, ethnicity, color or religion enriches us all in so many ways. It ought not divide us. But first we have to have courage. Do we?

3. As a community of neighbors 

I dream of towns and villages and cities where we co-exist peacefully with one another as neighbors. You know, neighbors, people who share a cup of coffee from time to time, or a spare egg or cup of sugar. Neighbors watch your home when you are away. They water plants and lawns, they feed your cat, and they collect mail and newspapers to make the home look lived in while you are away. Neighbors also help when  we are ill or recovering from a physical disability or injury. They drive us to the doctor or make a run to the emergency room for us. We care for them in return. Gladly we meet their needs. And we become well known to each other as a result. We trust them because we know them. We are not little islands of lonely people but connected to one another in commonweal. But first we must trust. Can we?

4. As a family of deep worth 

I dream of families that support each member of the clan in all of their varying degrees of need. Young or old, ignorant or fully educated, hale or ailing, each person is able to aid the other to a wellness appropriate to the situation. And all situations are different, aren’t they? Do we allow aging gracefully? Do we celebrate successes of others generously? Do we hope for achievements by others? Do we notice them and their specific hurts, needs, and attainments? This is the path toward loving each family member. Or do we compete and degrade these opportunities? First we must notice each other. Do we?

I wonder. I dream. Do you? Can these thoughts become real for us?

June 24, 2015