Vision 2030

What is the magic that you are bringing into the world?
What would it look like if, by simply sticking to your goals with patience and consistency, all of your dreams came true?

“People Tend To Overestimate What Can Be Done In One Year And To Underestimate What Can Be Done In Five Or Ten Years”

Various people have pointed out that we tend to overestimate what can be accomplished in the short run, and that we tend to seriously underestimate what can be accomplished in the long run.

I'm deeply moved by the implications of this idea as we all step into the new decade. 

From my understanding of emergence arising from complexity and chaos theories, I don't think it would be possible to see beyond ten years. And considering my life experience to date, I trust that the amount of possible change in ten years is massive. 

I've opened to the idea that it might not even be possible to dream big enough as I imagine  what the world could look like in the year 2030. I also trust that if I work (and play) with clear purpose and consistency over many years, I can achieve almost anything. My goals are ambitious. 

My chosen purpose is to support the transformation of humanity's relationship with conflict. On my website, I've written: "I believe that it is possible to improve systems of communication and interaction in ways that will allow humanity to thrive and evolve through our complexity and diversity."

When I consider my current work and intentions, project them into the future, and allow myself to imagine how they would play out into reaching the most amazing outcomes, this is what I see:

I dream of a world that operates from the shared understanding that we are all in this together, and is optimized to support the truth that we all have a role to play in the whole. To do this there will be a shift in thinking. We will learn to let go of the ideas of "right and wrong" and "us and them." It is no mistake that these are such powerful guiding forces in our current culture, yet in the future we will see that they are false dichotomies. We will resist  the illusion of choice that kind of divisive thinking knowing it to be the path to our mutually assured destruction. 

Instead of "right & wrong," we will shift our attention to the idea of "better & worse," and we will work to define shared criteria and parameters for measuring whether a choice is better or worse. Examples of these criteria for "better" choices could include more just, more awesome, more inclusive, more sustainable, more joyful, more kind, etc. 

Instead of us/them, we will shift our attention to everyone being part of a greater whole, and each whole being part of an even greater whole. We will understand the importance of the successful participation of all parts to make the whole succeed. This omnipartial approach, would orient our society towards supporting people in finding their best expression, and helping removing the barriers to their full participation.  

I specifically am committed to transforming how we show up in our workplaces and in our political system. Those are the dreams that motivate my actions today, so I have chosen to imagine the future of democratic/social discourse and the future of work... 

In 2030 our understanding of politics and social causes will be motivated by finding the balance between shared responsibility for supporting the common cause of the collective and emphasizing individual freedom. The interdependent values of shared abundance and individual sovereignty will guide our decisions and our structures. Everyone will have the ability to participate in the decisions that affect their lives. Power will be allocated to others conditionally and only when necessary. Deliberative and informed citizen participation in local, national and international decisions will be a standard practice and will be supported by a preponderance of skilled facilitators using a variety of dynamic and culturally relevant dialogue tools. The effectiveness of these tools (which already exist) will be what has led to their popular demand. No leader or person in power will dare make a decision without first consulting with those who will be impacted. People will be intolerant of any influence on their lives that is not consensual or collectively considered. 

In 2030 we will have a profoundly new way of thinking about work. Work will be seen as a sacred practice, as each individuals' fundamental role of transforming the world around them in service of one another. All work will be seen as something that one does to create space and time for others to do what they are doing to make their own sacred contribution.

It will be commonly understood that all work must serve a life-affirming purpose, something that is benefiting the whole. Furthermore, the process and act of doing the work will be life-affirming for those who are involved. Each individual will be invited and feel safe to bring their full self and creative expression to the work they do, and will support other individuals to do the same. Working with others will be seen as something necessary to harness the symbiotic power of many, that cannot be achieved in isolation. People will feel grateful for having the opportunity to joyfully collaborate with others in creating products and services that they are passionate about.   Similar to our political structures, the values that motivate work will be a commitment to both shared abundance and individual expression and sovereignty. 

A mark of this future understanding of work will be that everyone will greet each other with gratitude for doing what they are doing in the service of others. "Thank you so much for preparing this food for me." "Thank you for learning how to do accounting and management, so that I can do what I do." "Thank you for helping clean this space, it is so beautiful." "Thank you for taking on the task of listening to myriad perspectives to arrive at complex decisions about public policy."

We will not arrive at any fixed state of perfection in ten years, nor ever. The changes that we will see in the next decade will be in the quality of how we navigate our complex and diverse world. The realization that we are on an ongoing path of improvement will inspire us to constantly recognize when situations are inadequate and insist on working with others to make them better. This ongoing transformation will not be motivated by anger, resistance nor resignation. Instead it will be driven by the knowledge that improvement is always possible, that abundance and clever adaptation are inherent qualities of life, and faith that since we are all in this together, we will collaborate to make this life journey as awesome as possible, for as many people as possible and for as long as possible.  

I have set my sights on the future I want to see, and I commit to working towards this future for as long as I am able.  I am not, however, guided by hope. I have learned from a mentor of mine, Margaret Wheately, that hope is the companion of fear. So what guides me? 

I am motivated to keep going with a spirit of generosity and joy of service. I'm compelled forward by boundless curiosity, an opening into the unfolding mystery, by grounded presence and patience. I'm learning to let go of the urgent need for success and it's accompanying fear of failure. Instead, the drive to keep moving forward comes from my focus on the rightness of the work itself, knowing that it feels true to me. And I take great solace in the people, community and relationships that surround me and give meaning and support to my struggles. 

Essentially, I choose to let my choices be guided by love. 

Wheatley shares this section from T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets:

I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope 

For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love, 

For love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith 

But the faith and the love and the hope are all in the waiting.

We're on this journey together and we're in it for the long haul, so incremental progress is not only acceptable, it is the plan. Onwards.