I spent the last few days in Washington, D.C., with over 100 college-age students who care about the environment. They had come from all over the country to share stories they had produced and learn new strategies to do this work better. There was a lot of talk about looking for solutions and hope, not just chronicling the myriad ways that the coming years could be filled with gloom and doom.
This hopeful way of thinking is not simply a mental exercise. It is the real work of imagining positive futures, researching examples of inventors and innovators and other inspiring people engaged in finding solutions that recognize the troubles we face (in this case, largely because of climate-induced environmental change) and then sharing some answers (both big ones and often small and local ones) to make things better.
It would be a cliché to say these student storytellers give me hope, which is true, but more than that was their effort to activate hopeful thinking and then find examples that give evidence for it. In my view, the best work typically depends on imagining possible positive futures, then figuring out how to get to those places.
With that in mind, I offer this Saturday’s question: What future do you want? Maybe it concerns planetary health. Maybe it’s about a fairer justice system or rethinking, resetting and repairing democracy. Perhaps it’s focused on improved and equitable public education and encouraging people from across the political spectrum to value this. Maybe it’s about your own children or extended family. Feel free to be small and specific or broad and big picture. But only by activating such thoughts can the work happen to make it real.
As always, I look forward to reading your thoughts and this community sharing with each other.
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I want a future where people are kind and thoughtful to one another. Where consideration of another's best good is a reflex action. A future where people seek to listen and understand why others think and feel the way they do, and why it makes sense to them. I want a future where where this kindness we extend to other people then becomes kindness we extend to the environment, seeking the best good of the living systems within it. If we treat each other with kindness and compassion, then most of our problems are easy to find solutions to because we are all working together for good ways to fix the problem and not each other. I know it's a big ask and I know it starts with me, here and now.
Apr 22, 2023·edited Apr 22, 2023Liked by Steven Beschloss
Here's what I want for a progressive vision of America built around imagining a positive future instead of only harping on what's wrong right now:
1. A robust public healthcare system that also allows individuals to purchase supplemental individual plans.
2. Infrastructure policy that lessens the dependability of cars and making cities more walkable and bikeable.
3. Reigning in the excesses of capitalism: Implementing a German-style codetermination corporate model, overturning Citizens United, and going after abusive monopolies.
4. A recommitment to public education, a more holistic curriculum around confronting the racism in American history that also encourages students to take meaningful and positive responsibility, teaching anti-bias and empathy at a younger age, reinvigorating trades and certificate programs, promoting financial literacy, and encouraging employers to not mandate a college degree if it is not needed.
5. Rent control and public housing to compete with private developers.
6. Direct climate action that encourages both public and private investment/commitment.
Steve: there is an immediate action that your 100 students can take PLUS what we readers can do about it: we need to take effective steps to register high school seniors and college students now so please everybody go on www.turnup.us/ and contribute tax-deductible where Harvard students are very effectively trying to register younger voters in 2,700 high schools and colleges but only in “competitive congressional districts”--we must be proactive now for 24 strictly nonpartisan!! Please take that first step now? Thank you
The future I envision is the eradication of labels based on fear and ignorance. Labels that discriminate are protective mechanisms designed to insulate the user from the uncomfortable; from addressing that which threatens their personal reality. As a therapist once said to me: many people would rather have a shoe that doesn’t fit than no shoe at all.
Language that is derived from a status quo that has not adapted to the constant evolution of life are the shackles that bind the present to the past. Changing the language removes this connection and allows progress to be made. In my case eradicating the “stigma” (scarlet letter attached to mental illness) is my most fervent wish. Stigma is a disease in and of itself that inhibits the ability for people to connect with others. Lest we forget: our survival as a species is dependent on shared intimacy.
So much of what's happening is due to the fact that we don't stop to listen, cultivate trust in relationship, and really hear each other's story. I have just spent a week in retreat with 18 amazing women. When we arrived, some people seemed aloof, snobby and stuck only with the family member or friend they came with. Some of us came alone, all of us were wary of the unknown.
It took 4 days of deep work to trust that we all have stories--some we're ashamed of, some we're scared to face, and some we don't think anyone else would understand so keep locked up inside. By the end, the walls disintegrated, what looked like strength and turned out to be fear softened, and we could talk and laugh and sing and cry knowing we had each other's backs--and shoulders. It takes time and trust to realize we're all in this together. By the time we left, we were all sisters. I wish more people had access to this kind of story sharing, trust building, greater understanding of the stories we hold and deep healing. My wish for a better future? That we might stop and listen in a way that enables us to really hear, as we share stories to reconnect, and build a new and more positive vision for America's future, and find a common way forward.
What I hope for is that people will be kind to one another. I try in small ways just by smiling more and offering the wish for a good day. Most will smile back and return the greeting. Any kind of reaching out helps.
I live on a divided community (one of the few truly purple counties in Oregon). We need to see each other as neighbors again and not adversaries. I am not looking for a Pollyanna world, just one that is less fearful, angry, violent, and just plain mean.
My efforts will be in trying to encourage MOTIVATION in my friends, family and strangers to read, think about & discuss the burning issues of our day. Namely, preserving our democracy, our air, our water and exercising our ability to show kindness & compassion for each other.
As I have said many times in the past - I am a concerned optimist. I see so much that could go wrong, but I have always believed that the MAGAS are a significant minority, but they control much of the political world in red states because of their gerrymandering of the opposition out of having any political power, so the first thing I would like to see is a reawakening of the significant majority of the American electorate to vote these people out as a result of a concerted effort by independents (the largest group in the electorate) rising to defend their rights. The polls indicate that this majority exists, especially regarding abortion and gun control, but also for the freedom to read what they want. If someone doesn't want an abortion - don't get one. If you don't want to read a certain book - don't. Everyone - men or women - have the right of choice as to how they want to live. That's the American way.
Everything must be based on the electorate, not the politicians, most of whom are stifled in both parties by special interests. This possible great wave towards freedom of thought and action will result in a Congress and a President who can right the wrongs generated by Citizens United, to codify abortion rights, to accept separation of religious beliefs and the state while at the same time solidifying the First Amendment for the benefit of all, which would mean that news sources must be held to a higher standard, i.e., telling the truth. I do not believe that I am a Pollyanna. This must happen, and I think there are many voices, especially young voices, that are demanding to be heard, and I believe they will be, and that they will come out as never before - not as Dems, Reps or MAGAs, but as Americans tired of the mess the old folks have gotten us into. I am from Tennessee, and for the first time in a long time, feel that there actually may be a movement like this started. I remain eternally optimistic!
I am deeply troubled by what's happening in America right now. I voted Republican in the past (not in a long time) and can't see myself ever doing so again because the future I want is antithetical to just about everything the Republicans stand for. The only thing I agree with is we need to watch what we spend, but more so in terms of waste and overpaying for services and things that seem totally ridiculous.
Probably the most important things to me at the moment are severely reducing our dependence on oil with a shift to sustainable clean energy, improving our public education system (including preventing its dismantlement and paying teachers what they're worth to reverse the teacher shortage), better accountability of lawmakers and leaders for breaking laws and ethics violations, a balanced SCOTUS (should never be allowed to be hyper-partisan; the Senate majority leader should never have so much power to keep changing the rules to suit his goals), finding a way to eliminate all gerrymandering from either party, reducing the wealth gap (including changing income tax structure so they don't get so many tax breaks and pay a fair share), and improving equity for minorities and people with disabilities.
Happy Earth Day. We may not agree on how to save it and many want to impair it or control it. But we can agree: we all need it. Breathe free and prosper.
I want all you said plus a media held to truth, swifter justice system that can respond well and fairly, love and caring for all, and a legal and political system that has figured out how to protect democracy. Too much?
An end to nationalism. A reset to society which accomodates all migrants and includes an end to economic stratification. A recognition of, and respect for, all life. An acceptance without fear of our tiny place and insignificance in the cosmos.
Today our town is having a giant litter pickup, along all the roads and waterways.
I want the hate and the name calling to stop. We use to have each others backs. America has always been the symbol of freedom, yet we live in an age now, if you are not exactly what a certain group of people think you should be, you are unacceptable. That's bs in my book. That would go a long way to discussions again. I want climate change to be acknowledged and to be taken seriously, because I remember a time, where I live, that it use to not be so hot and where acid rain didn't kill off tons of the trees here. Where winters we had snow and now we get rain more often. It's a serious problem that needs to be one of the top issues in our country. Extreme weather all across our country. I'm still furious over so many blowing covid off like it was some conspiracy. I hope for no one that they loose a friend, like I did yesterday, who had long covid and his lungs could not heal or take it anymore. How can a pandemic not be taken seriously? I wonder sometimes where things went so wrong? People who use to want to come on vacation to our country, do not want to anymore for fear of being shot while they are out seeing the sites etc. I've read way too many comments saying so across the spectrum, let alone we have family in Europe and friends across the world, and they say it. Isn't it a shame, that our country has gone from a place people envied, to a place no one cares to step foot in again? So many issues and so many problems that are fixable, but for those who seem to hate everyone and want to make everything an impossibility.
If we all were asking, and seeking answers for this question--What Future Do You Want?--instead of what we don't want... we could turn this chaos into creating a better country, government, and people very rapidly.
I want car dependency to go the way of cigarette smoking - acknowledge the body count, make the advertising illegal, and generally relegate it to spaces that are not public commons. With this and so much more (and arguably the primary catalyst for such changes) a paradigm shift in the way we regard each other. Let's give a damn about our neighbor, shall we.
Steve: if you would like to refer your 100 students to work with the Harvard group in their own schools, I’m sure they will be welcomed and trained as they have to start soon! I can arrange for a contact with the CEO of Turnup? Thanks
I read your comments while watching a TV feature titled 'Nature's Big Year', with Canadian scientist and environmentalist, David Suzuki. It chronicled the effects of pandemic lock downs, which provided an opportunity for researchers to study the effects of less noise and reduced human interaction on communities and the natural environment. The upside of human containment and restricted travel, was an increase in wildlife activity, and often increased reproduction numbers. Less vehicle travel meant better air quality. Being confined to one's home, initiated a rework of how we spend out time and what we prioritise.. It was discovered that species were able to adapt positively, when people were not encroaching on their natural environments. Wild animals and birds thrived and often expanded their territorial reach. Our loss of access, was in essence their gain. Human behaviour is the change maker, and your theory, Steven, of "activating hopeful thinking' is key. We have to understand and respect that everything on the planet is inter-connected, and therefore affected by humans. It seems to me that many people lack hope and joy. Along life's journey they have fallen to the wayside, descending into unhappiness, malaise and often anger. An inability to cope, manifests in negative thinking, which can lead to hurtful actions. The pace of mass shootings correlates to a disrespect for the life of others, as well as the perpetrator. Through positive visualisation, I see a world where cooperation and respect of the environment and for others, prevails. It will require a virtual tectonic shift in values, where tolerance and kindness supersedes negativity. It is a mandate not just on this Earth Day, but for every day.
How about ALL OF IT!? We have the capacity but no leadership out of this. So many great ideas in the wings!! So much healing for our country to do. Seems overwhelming at times. I am ever more hopeful in what I hear from the Gen Zs.
Sadly, my current outlook is far more bleak than I would like it to be, I suppose at the end of the day I would like to see a future where the following is not the factual status that it is in this moment..
Human beings are the greatest threat to the harmonious coexistence of life on this earth..The hubris, selfishness, greed, hate, bigotry, racism, religious fanaticism, and constant reach to possess power, only to subjugate other human beings and forsake all other life by the minority of an instinctually inferior species is without equal.
I'd like to see a future where the government works for the people, and not for the rich and powerful. I'd like to see universal health care, affordable child care, better public transit, and a good retirement system for everyone. I'd like to see a fair tax system where everyone contributes their fair share. I'd like to see a justice system that treats everyone equally. I'd like to see my son have a better life then me.
Would it be selfish and greedy of me to want all those things you mentioned to come together in a whole new way that astonishes and delights the masses? That is my wish for this earth day!
I’d like a not-too-distant future where people are kinder to one another. Where we accept that we’re all humans just trying to make our way on this one planet. Where we lift each other up instead of pushing down. Where we’re open to listening to others, hearing each other out, and not being so angry. It’s OK to have different perspectives on ideas/policies/issues, but we should be able to find areas of compromise. It really doesn’t seem like too much to ask. Peace. ☮️
Proportional representation. Healthcare and housing for all. 100% renewable energy. License, registration and insurance for every firearm. We value and pay teachers as much as we value and pay sports and entertainment stars. Diplomatic solutions to all conflict. We no longer enslave animals for food. Basically Star Trek
I want a future where people have learned to learn. I want a future where people have learned that progress is the point, that progress means learning and improving, and that progress always derives from a past that was not perfect. I want a future that allows for progress, not by shutting other people down, but by listening and learning together. I want a future where difference is seen as not a bad thing but a source of knowledge and progress. I was born in 1955, grew up different than many, learned that I was a lesbian as a young adult, and have seen and hopefully helped initiate many changes for the better in my world. I know I've also probably contributed to not positive changes, especially regarding the environment but have remained open to change. I want a future that embraces the potential of change and a future that allows for learning and growth.
I'm older and cynicaller so I don't tend to have a positive view of America going forward. Not because of the typical issues in any country regarding slow moving justice, inflation, debt etc but because in my lifetime I saw a disintegration of conversation and more recently a rise in fictitious thinking particularly on the right. It's all being supported by RIght wing media/social media/online content that fractures and bubbleizes people. Any hope of good faith conversation seems unlikely for the forseeable future. In a country this large the odds were against us but I grew up with a sense of it at least. I don't know how this country progresses without clear heads running the show and I'm afraid the right wing Q authoritarians have gotten a foothold.
With that out of the way I am a glass half full person at the end of it so I can imagine we will get through this era and find some kind of renaissance. It happens history shows. Ideally it'll involve thoughtful approaches to food production/management, ecological priorities, encouraging health and wealth equality across the globe and sustainability. At some point it has to start with people willing to listen and have productive dialogues with the understanding that beliefs aren't universal laws. They can change and with evidence that counters them, should.
I want a future where there is access to excellent healthcare for all, and where we see continuing advances in healthcare, continuing advances in the eradication of so many dreadful diseases. I want everyone to have food security. I want a future that has peace around the world. I want a future where honesty is dominant, in interpersonal relations and in politics. I want a future that is filled with liberty and justice for all. I want a future where all people are free, free to choose all aspects of their lives. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, just as was written in the Declaration of Independence.
I would like your thoughts on the amount of minerals needed in moving away from fossil fuels. I read a very convincing story on what it would take to maintain our energy needs and moving away from fossil fuels. TY
Women's rights are human rights. We have to respect worldwide - the US included - women rights, 50% of the population. Until than nothing is going to change.
I think the most immediate problem in the US is poverty. Children hungry, people living in cars or some tent in the woods, skinny unkept people with cardboard signs saying homeless, hungry, I have kids, please help me. Kids being shamed , getting no lunch at school because they have no money.
People living from pay check to pay check, and heaven help them if they get sick and miss work. No work, no pay.
Several years ago I was in Mexico City. It was full of beggars, day and night. They would hire children to look more pathetic. They would come up to tables in restaurants, hands out. I thought, how lucky am I to live in a country where this would never happen. But it did ! There was even once a place in NYC where they taught people how to beg and be productive.
The 2023 US military budget is $857.9 billion, and the President is asking for $26 billion more. Why?
We spend more than the next 10 armed countries. Our coming problem, China, has a budget of
$224.8 billion. Hardly competition. Nobody is going to attack us. Kim Jong-il is a show off. We could bomb N.Korea into oblivion. Putin likes to threaten. We know he doesn't care if his people die (Ukraine -thousands ) He may be a KGB monster, but attack NATO and the US? I think not. He is down to using prisoners as soldiers. Iran? Nope.
During the pandemic, families that made under $75K received $250/week. What a blessing. What a relief for so many Americans. That plus their measly wages gave them peace of mind, food more than a can of tuna and a box of corn flakes. A chance to get a new pair of shoes, buy medicine, pay the rent or mortgage, not have the heat or electric turned off.
So.......Skip all that military excess. A lot of it isn't even wanted by the services and only keeps armament companies in business thus keeping those state politicians in office with votes. Our tax money, as per google, goes in the millions and billions to Afghanistan, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Ethiopia, Yemen, Colombia, Nigeria, & Lebanon . And those are only the top 10.
It is our money. Give some back. Let middle class rise again. Make people happier, less angry, maybe even less willing to go shoot up a school or run a truck into a crowd. We don't need billion dollar planes that don't work. We need food on the table, the table in a home where there is less fighting, divorce, child neglect, more smiles.
Oh, but it is big government, and that dirty word, socialism. So what? That is what we already have.
"The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first & only legitimate object of good government." Thomas Jefferson
The future I want is DIRECT DEMOCRACY - one person, one vote electronically, ruled by the majority. No representatives, no parties and no profiteering corporations (they are not people). In this future, as individual citizens, we raise issues on social media that each of us feel need addressed. Issues can be focused on local communities, or incrementally, all the way to global initiatives, depending upon the priorities set by a majority of the voting public. We also use social media to refine the issues, challenges and solution options until the majority clearly settles on well-defined goals. Individuals contribute to non-profit organizations that have reputations for successfully implementing comparable solutions (no taxes).
We are running out of time to completely change the current forms of what we call governance. The majority interests are mostly subservient to a self-serving minority of "representatives."
Their agendas and votes are pre-determined by massive amounts of financial contributions and favors that maintain power. While there are many well-meaning individuals who try to side with and serve the majority, they are no match for the current financial and political concentration of power.
We are running out of time, because the earth is as pissed off as many of us. This planet has a life of its own and is using its power to re-establish balance, likely eliminating we humans, because we are such irresponsible caretakers of its amazing resources. We do have a choice to work together for all of us and the planet. Let's do this.
I'm 65. I'll be happy if things don't get any worse. I thought Reagan was the low point of my time in America, and in many ways that's still true. I am hopeful though, it kind of feels like we've reached a turning point and voters are going to turn against the GOP in every state.
I want a world where we recognize all rights have responsibilities that go with them and responsibilities are not thought of as infringements on those rights.
We must have planetary health or life on earth will go extinct. I also want love to overrule hate. Governments to administer the details of order, not make laws. All humans embrace every human. Love our planet and protect everything on the planet
Hey, I'd like to invite everyone to have a look at the words and work of Dr. David Dark (Dark Corners on Substack). He is on Twitter as well. The comments resonate with his like a hit tuning fork touching another.
I want a future where people are kind and thoughtful to one another. Where consideration of another's best good is a reflex action. A future where people seek to listen and understand why others think and feel the way they do, and why it makes sense to them. I want a future where where this kindness we extend to other people then becomes kindness we extend to the environment, seeking the best good of the living systems within it. If we treat each other with kindness and compassion, then most of our problems are easy to find solutions to because we are all working together for good ways to fix the problem and not each other. I know it's a big ask and I know it starts with me, here and now.
Here's what I want for a progressive vision of America built around imagining a positive future instead of only harping on what's wrong right now:
1. A robust public healthcare system that also allows individuals to purchase supplemental individual plans.
2. Infrastructure policy that lessens the dependability of cars and making cities more walkable and bikeable.
3. Reigning in the excesses of capitalism: Implementing a German-style codetermination corporate model, overturning Citizens United, and going after abusive monopolies.
4. A recommitment to public education, a more holistic curriculum around confronting the racism in American history that also encourages students to take meaningful and positive responsibility, teaching anti-bias and empathy at a younger age, reinvigorating trades and certificate programs, promoting financial literacy, and encouraging employers to not mandate a college degree if it is not needed.
5. Rent control and public housing to compete with private developers.
6. Direct climate action that encourages both public and private investment/commitment.
Steve: there is an immediate action that your 100 students can take PLUS what we readers can do about it: we need to take effective steps to register high school seniors and college students now so please everybody go on www.turnup.us/ and contribute tax-deductible where Harvard students are very effectively trying to register younger voters in 2,700 high schools and colleges but only in “competitive congressional districts”--we must be proactive now for 24 strictly nonpartisan!! Please take that first step now? Thank you
Change the language. Change the narrative.
The future I envision is the eradication of labels based on fear and ignorance. Labels that discriminate are protective mechanisms designed to insulate the user from the uncomfortable; from addressing that which threatens their personal reality. As a therapist once said to me: many people would rather have a shoe that doesn’t fit than no shoe at all.
Language that is derived from a status quo that has not adapted to the constant evolution of life are the shackles that bind the present to the past. Changing the language removes this connection and allows progress to be made. In my case eradicating the “stigma” (scarlet letter attached to mental illness) is my most fervent wish. Stigma is a disease in and of itself that inhibits the ability for people to connect with others. Lest we forget: our survival as a species is dependent on shared intimacy.
Change the language. Change the narrative.
So much of what's happening is due to the fact that we don't stop to listen, cultivate trust in relationship, and really hear each other's story. I have just spent a week in retreat with 18 amazing women. When we arrived, some people seemed aloof, snobby and stuck only with the family member or friend they came with. Some of us came alone, all of us were wary of the unknown.
It took 4 days of deep work to trust that we all have stories--some we're ashamed of, some we're scared to face, and some we don't think anyone else would understand so keep locked up inside. By the end, the walls disintegrated, what looked like strength and turned out to be fear softened, and we could talk and laugh and sing and cry knowing we had each other's backs--and shoulders. It takes time and trust to realize we're all in this together. By the time we left, we were all sisters. I wish more people had access to this kind of story sharing, trust building, greater understanding of the stories we hold and deep healing. My wish for a better future? That we might stop and listen in a way that enables us to really hear, as we share stories to reconnect, and build a new and more positive vision for America's future, and find a common way forward.
It is possible!
What I hope for is that people will be kind to one another. I try in small ways just by smiling more and offering the wish for a good day. Most will smile back and return the greeting. Any kind of reaching out helps.
I live on a divided community (one of the few truly purple counties in Oregon). We need to see each other as neighbors again and not adversaries. I am not looking for a Pollyanna world, just one that is less fearful, angry, violent, and just plain mean.
My efforts will be in trying to encourage MOTIVATION in my friends, family and strangers to read, think about & discuss the burning issues of our day. Namely, preserving our democracy, our air, our water and exercising our ability to show kindness & compassion for each other.
The future that MLK, Thích Nhất Hạnh, the Dalai Llama, Gandhi and others envisioned. We have much work to do.
Young folks will save the planet and save democracy. Wish I could live long enough to see it.
As I have said many times in the past - I am a concerned optimist. I see so much that could go wrong, but I have always believed that the MAGAS are a significant minority, but they control much of the political world in red states because of their gerrymandering of the opposition out of having any political power, so the first thing I would like to see is a reawakening of the significant majority of the American electorate to vote these people out as a result of a concerted effort by independents (the largest group in the electorate) rising to defend their rights. The polls indicate that this majority exists, especially regarding abortion and gun control, but also for the freedom to read what they want. If someone doesn't want an abortion - don't get one. If you don't want to read a certain book - don't. Everyone - men or women - have the right of choice as to how they want to live. That's the American way.
Everything must be based on the electorate, not the politicians, most of whom are stifled in both parties by special interests. This possible great wave towards freedom of thought and action will result in a Congress and a President who can right the wrongs generated by Citizens United, to codify abortion rights, to accept separation of religious beliefs and the state while at the same time solidifying the First Amendment for the benefit of all, which would mean that news sources must be held to a higher standard, i.e., telling the truth. I do not believe that I am a Pollyanna. This must happen, and I think there are many voices, especially young voices, that are demanding to be heard, and I believe they will be, and that they will come out as never before - not as Dems, Reps or MAGAs, but as Americans tired of the mess the old folks have gotten us into. I am from Tennessee, and for the first time in a long time, feel that there actually may be a movement like this started. I remain eternally optimistic!
I am deeply troubled by what's happening in America right now. I voted Republican in the past (not in a long time) and can't see myself ever doing so again because the future I want is antithetical to just about everything the Republicans stand for. The only thing I agree with is we need to watch what we spend, but more so in terms of waste and overpaying for services and things that seem totally ridiculous.
Probably the most important things to me at the moment are severely reducing our dependence on oil with a shift to sustainable clean energy, improving our public education system (including preventing its dismantlement and paying teachers what they're worth to reverse the teacher shortage), better accountability of lawmakers and leaders for breaking laws and ethics violations, a balanced SCOTUS (should never be allowed to be hyper-partisan; the Senate majority leader should never have so much power to keep changing the rules to suit his goals), finding a way to eliminate all gerrymandering from either party, reducing the wealth gap (including changing income tax structure so they don't get so many tax breaks and pay a fair share), and improving equity for minorities and people with disabilities.
Happy Earth Day. We may not agree on how to save it and many want to impair it or control it. But we can agree: we all need it. Breathe free and prosper.
I want all you said plus a media held to truth, swifter justice system that can respond well and fairly, love and caring for all, and a legal and political system that has figured out how to protect democracy. Too much?
An end to nationalism. A reset to society which accomodates all migrants and includes an end to economic stratification. A recognition of, and respect for, all life. An acceptance without fear of our tiny place and insignificance in the cosmos.
Today our town is having a giant litter pickup, along all the roads and waterways.
I want the hate and the name calling to stop. We use to have each others backs. America has always been the symbol of freedom, yet we live in an age now, if you are not exactly what a certain group of people think you should be, you are unacceptable. That's bs in my book. That would go a long way to discussions again. I want climate change to be acknowledged and to be taken seriously, because I remember a time, where I live, that it use to not be so hot and where acid rain didn't kill off tons of the trees here. Where winters we had snow and now we get rain more often. It's a serious problem that needs to be one of the top issues in our country. Extreme weather all across our country. I'm still furious over so many blowing covid off like it was some conspiracy. I hope for no one that they loose a friend, like I did yesterday, who had long covid and his lungs could not heal or take it anymore. How can a pandemic not be taken seriously? I wonder sometimes where things went so wrong? People who use to want to come on vacation to our country, do not want to anymore for fear of being shot while they are out seeing the sites etc. I've read way too many comments saying so across the spectrum, let alone we have family in Europe and friends across the world, and they say it. Isn't it a shame, that our country has gone from a place people envied, to a place no one cares to step foot in again? So many issues and so many problems that are fixable, but for those who seem to hate everyone and want to make everything an impossibility.
I want a future with roughly half the population we currently have. Everywhere. This vertical population growth curve underlies ALL the other issues facing us. https://www.amnh.org/explore/videos/humans/human-population-through-time
If we all were asking, and seeking answers for this question--What Future Do You Want?--instead of what we don't want... we could turn this chaos into creating a better country, government, and people very rapidly.
I want car dependency to go the way of cigarette smoking - acknowledge the body count, make the advertising illegal, and generally relegate it to spaces that are not public commons. With this and so much more (and arguably the primary catalyst for such changes) a paradigm shift in the way we regard each other. Let's give a damn about our neighbor, shall we.
Steve: if you would like to refer your 100 students to work with the Harvard group in their own schools, I’m sure they will be welcomed and trained as they have to start soon! I can arrange for a contact with the CEO of Turnup? Thanks
I read your comments while watching a TV feature titled 'Nature's Big Year', with Canadian scientist and environmentalist, David Suzuki. It chronicled the effects of pandemic lock downs, which provided an opportunity for researchers to study the effects of less noise and reduced human interaction on communities and the natural environment. The upside of human containment and restricted travel, was an increase in wildlife activity, and often increased reproduction numbers. Less vehicle travel meant better air quality. Being confined to one's home, initiated a rework of how we spend out time and what we prioritise.. It was discovered that species were able to adapt positively, when people were not encroaching on their natural environments. Wild animals and birds thrived and often expanded their territorial reach. Our loss of access, was in essence their gain. Human behaviour is the change maker, and your theory, Steven, of "activating hopeful thinking' is key. We have to understand and respect that everything on the planet is inter-connected, and therefore affected by humans. It seems to me that many people lack hope and joy. Along life's journey they have fallen to the wayside, descending into unhappiness, malaise and often anger. An inability to cope, manifests in negative thinking, which can lead to hurtful actions. The pace of mass shootings correlates to a disrespect for the life of others, as well as the perpetrator. Through positive visualisation, I see a world where cooperation and respect of the environment and for others, prevails. It will require a virtual tectonic shift in values, where tolerance and kindness supersedes negativity. It is a mandate not just on this Earth Day, but for every day.
How about ALL OF IT!? We have the capacity but no leadership out of this. So many great ideas in the wings!! So much healing for our country to do. Seems overwhelming at times. I am ever more hopeful in what I hear from the Gen Zs.
Sadly, my current outlook is far more bleak than I would like it to be, I suppose at the end of the day I would like to see a future where the following is not the factual status that it is in this moment..
Human beings are the greatest threat to the harmonious coexistence of life on this earth..The hubris, selfishness, greed, hate, bigotry, racism, religious fanaticism, and constant reach to possess power, only to subjugate other human beings and forsake all other life by the minority of an instinctually inferior species is without equal.
I'd like to see a future where the government works for the people, and not for the rich and powerful. I'd like to see universal health care, affordable child care, better public transit, and a good retirement system for everyone. I'd like to see a fair tax system where everyone contributes their fair share. I'd like to see a justice system that treats everyone equally. I'd like to see my son have a better life then me.
Would it be selfish and greedy of me to want all those things you mentioned to come together in a whole new way that astonishes and delights the masses? That is my wish for this earth day!
I’d like a not-too-distant future where people are kinder to one another. Where we accept that we’re all humans just trying to make our way on this one planet. Where we lift each other up instead of pushing down. Where we’re open to listening to others, hearing each other out, and not being so angry. It’s OK to have different perspectives on ideas/policies/issues, but we should be able to find areas of compromise. It really doesn’t seem like too much to ask. Peace. ☮️
Proportional representation. Healthcare and housing for all. 100% renewable energy. License, registration and insurance for every firearm. We value and pay teachers as much as we value and pay sports and entertainment stars. Diplomatic solutions to all conflict. We no longer enslave animals for food. Basically Star Trek
I want a future where people have learned to learn. I want a future where people have learned that progress is the point, that progress means learning and improving, and that progress always derives from a past that was not perfect. I want a future that allows for progress, not by shutting other people down, but by listening and learning together. I want a future where difference is seen as not a bad thing but a source of knowledge and progress. I was born in 1955, grew up different than many, learned that I was a lesbian as a young adult, and have seen and hopefully helped initiate many changes for the better in my world. I know I've also probably contributed to not positive changes, especially regarding the environment but have remained open to change. I want a future that embraces the potential of change and a future that allows for learning and growth.
I'm older and cynicaller so I don't tend to have a positive view of America going forward. Not because of the typical issues in any country regarding slow moving justice, inflation, debt etc but because in my lifetime I saw a disintegration of conversation and more recently a rise in fictitious thinking particularly on the right. It's all being supported by RIght wing media/social media/online content that fractures and bubbleizes people. Any hope of good faith conversation seems unlikely for the forseeable future. In a country this large the odds were against us but I grew up with a sense of it at least. I don't know how this country progresses without clear heads running the show and I'm afraid the right wing Q authoritarians have gotten a foothold.
With that out of the way I am a glass half full person at the end of it so I can imagine we will get through this era and find some kind of renaissance. It happens history shows. Ideally it'll involve thoughtful approaches to food production/management, ecological priorities, encouraging health and wealth equality across the globe and sustainability. At some point it has to start with people willing to listen and have productive dialogues with the understanding that beliefs aren't universal laws. They can change and with evidence that counters them, should.
I want a future where there is access to excellent healthcare for all, and where we see continuing advances in healthcare, continuing advances in the eradication of so many dreadful diseases. I want everyone to have food security. I want a future that has peace around the world. I want a future where honesty is dominant, in interpersonal relations and in politics. I want a future that is filled with liberty and justice for all. I want a future where all people are free, free to choose all aspects of their lives. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, just as was written in the Declaration of Independence.
I would like your thoughts on the amount of minerals needed in moving away from fossil fuels. I read a very convincing story on what it would take to maintain our energy needs and moving away from fossil fuels. TY
Women's rights are human rights. We have to respect worldwide - the US included - women rights, 50% of the population. Until than nothing is going to change.
I think the most immediate problem in the US is poverty. Children hungry, people living in cars or some tent in the woods, skinny unkept people with cardboard signs saying homeless, hungry, I have kids, please help me. Kids being shamed , getting no lunch at school because they have no money.
People living from pay check to pay check, and heaven help them if they get sick and miss work. No work, no pay.
Several years ago I was in Mexico City. It was full of beggars, day and night. They would hire children to look more pathetic. They would come up to tables in restaurants, hands out. I thought, how lucky am I to live in a country where this would never happen. But it did ! There was even once a place in NYC where they taught people how to beg and be productive.
The 2023 US military budget is $857.9 billion, and the President is asking for $26 billion more. Why?
We spend more than the next 10 armed countries. Our coming problem, China, has a budget of
$224.8 billion. Hardly competition. Nobody is going to attack us. Kim Jong-il is a show off. We could bomb N.Korea into oblivion. Putin likes to threaten. We know he doesn't care if his people die (Ukraine -thousands ) He may be a KGB monster, but attack NATO and the US? I think not. He is down to using prisoners as soldiers. Iran? Nope.
During the pandemic, families that made under $75K received $250/week. What a blessing. What a relief for so many Americans. That plus their measly wages gave them peace of mind, food more than a can of tuna and a box of corn flakes. A chance to get a new pair of shoes, buy medicine, pay the rent or mortgage, not have the heat or electric turned off.
So.......Skip all that military excess. A lot of it isn't even wanted by the services and only keeps armament companies in business thus keeping those state politicians in office with votes. Our tax money, as per google, goes in the millions and billions to Afghanistan, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Ethiopia, Yemen, Colombia, Nigeria, & Lebanon . And those are only the top 10.
It is our money. Give some back. Let middle class rise again. Make people happier, less angry, maybe even less willing to go shoot up a school or run a truck into a crowd. We don't need billion dollar planes that don't work. We need food on the table, the table in a home where there is less fighting, divorce, child neglect, more smiles.
Oh, but it is big government, and that dirty word, socialism. So what? That is what we already have.
"The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction, is the first & only legitimate object of good government." Thomas Jefferson
The future I want is DIRECT DEMOCRACY - one person, one vote electronically, ruled by the majority. No representatives, no parties and no profiteering corporations (they are not people). In this future, as individual citizens, we raise issues on social media that each of us feel need addressed. Issues can be focused on local communities, or incrementally, all the way to global initiatives, depending upon the priorities set by a majority of the voting public. We also use social media to refine the issues, challenges and solution options until the majority clearly settles on well-defined goals. Individuals contribute to non-profit organizations that have reputations for successfully implementing comparable solutions (no taxes).
We are running out of time to completely change the current forms of what we call governance. The majority interests are mostly subservient to a self-serving minority of "representatives."
Their agendas and votes are pre-determined by massive amounts of financial contributions and favors that maintain power. While there are many well-meaning individuals who try to side with and serve the majority, they are no match for the current financial and political concentration of power.
We are running out of time, because the earth is as pissed off as many of us. This planet has a life of its own and is using its power to re-establish balance, likely eliminating we humans, because we are such irresponsible caretakers of its amazing resources. We do have a choice to work together for all of us and the planet. Let's do this.
I'm 65. I'll be happy if things don't get any worse. I thought Reagan was the low point of my time in America, and in many ways that's still true. I am hopeful though, it kind of feels like we've reached a turning point and voters are going to turn against the GOP in every state.
I want a world where we recognize all rights have responsibilities that go with them and responsibilities are not thought of as infringements on those rights.
We must have planetary health or life on earth will go extinct. I also want love to overrule hate. Governments to administer the details of order, not make laws. All humans embrace every human. Love our planet and protect everything on the planet
Hey, I'd like to invite everyone to have a look at the words and work of Dr. David Dark (Dark Corners on Substack). He is on Twitter as well. The comments resonate with his like a hit tuning fork touching another.