I've been thinking a lot over the past few weeks about what I would like more of this year, and perhaps, too, what I could do with less of. I was feeling I could do with some more good news stories, less of the divisive, fear-mongering hyperbole. We're all going through some really challenging, dark times at the moment and in response to that, I want to seek out some bright splashes of hope, some shining examples of goodness, bravery, beauty. I want to share with you some small moments of light, in contrast to the darkness.
I think what we need at this time are visions of hope that we can cling to, that we can shield behind, that can guide us. We need visions of hope to remind us what we're fighting for, to highlight some examples of what can be achieved, to inspire us to action.
Positivity can lift us, energise us, bring us together.
Together, we are strong, capable, ingenious. Together we can change the narrative of the future. These bright lights can guide us, these visions of hope.
This post is an introduction to a new blog series called 'Visions of Hope' where, each week, I'll be exploring a different topic, using fictional stories to sketch out visions of a potential, brighter future with themes such as rewilding, climate change, technology, infrastructure and community. Please do join in the discussion in the comments as the weeks unfold. I'm interested in solutions, and at this stage, the more the better, even the ones which people say might never work. Also let me know if there's a topic that you'd like me to cover and feel free to send me links to relevant projects. Each week, I'll add some links to further reading if you're interested in finding out more.
Links to further information
https://futurecrunch.com/ Future Crunch - Science, technology, intelligent optimism (not necessarily in that order).
https://longnow.org/ The Long Now Foundation was established to foster long-term thinking and responsibility in the framework of the next 10,000 years.
https://sentiers.media/ Sentiers is about imagining, critiquing, and building futures.
