Many years ago, John Lennon wrote a song which became an anthem.
In it, he asked the people of the world to imagine. He asked us to imagine a better world, a better future. One without war, patriotism, or division due to possessions and religion.
The future is constantly being created for us. By the news, the media, movies, family and friends. Mostly, it's created out of fear. We are presented with pictures of the negative. A conglomerate of all the don't wants and the what ifs. An extrapolated conclusion based on things changing for the worse. And like the negative in those old fashioned photos – it's not real.
Here in Cape Town we've been having a drought, so all predictions are drought continuing ones – how long till 'day zero'. How low the dam levels are. We pay attention to how little water there is. We focus on that.
No one's counting down to the next rains. No one's measuring up towards how full the dams are becoming. The focus is not on bringing the rain. Only on how to survive the drought.
Mother Teresa once said she would never march to oppose war. But have a march for peace, she said, and I'll be there.
It may seem a matter of semantics. But it's not. We are talking reality creation. We create reality. With every choice of word, movie and thought we make. We create reality. There is no reality in existence before then. Right now as you sit there, the next hour has not been created yet – not even the next minute.
No one can say what will happen in the next minute. Let alone in the next week. The rains can come and fill up every single dam. Peace can reign all over Syria, Iran, Iraq and Pakistan. We can wake up to sparkling clean air throughout India. Some illness or virus may disappear as abruptly and miraculously as it appeared.
Think about it. One day there's nothing. Next day there is the appearance of something. A war, a virus, a new planet. No one questions the sudden appearance of things. Yet the thought that something may cease to exist just as suddenly and just as miraculously, is problematic for most of us.
Particle theory has made it quite clear, for those impressed by scientific proof, that particles, and therefore matter itself, only start to take form once we view them. Up until that point they are nothing more than possibility. Not only that, but as we change viewpoint so does what is being viewed change.
Which means we can dream and imagine a better future.
Start with creating a vision for the future that you choose. You choose it. Not the press. Not the media or the politicians or the naysayers of the world.
We can choose a future which is pleasant, peaceful, prosperous. We can decide on a future which is as wonderful as our weather. Well here in South Africa we can. We can dream. We can imagine all good things. We can imagine.
To believe wonderful realities can come to pass has every bit as much validity and possibility as any other scenario. Especially as we really don't know what will happen in the next five minutes.
The futurists of the world try to predict the future based on current trends, theories of probability, statistics, and complex equations around sustainability, demand, and how long before certain commodities run out. They take in all sorts of information and data, much of it based in the past, and then extrapolate the future based on that and their view of the present. These predictions may sound cutting edge but they are linear, obvious, and for the most part not very inspiring.
Most of the projected futures have a lot to do with things, and what these things will be able to do. Material stuff. The how to do of life. Not much future prediction has to do with beingness, feelings, consciousness, enlightenment, transcendence, becoming.
Some predicted futures may sound revolutionary – like Ray Kurzweil's prediction that artificial intelligent will match that of humans by 2029 and exceed it – reaching what he calls Singularity – the point when technology becomes smarter than humans - by 2045.
Some futures are extreme, like Kurzweil's prediction that technology interfaces already in production by the likes of Elon Musk will lead to 'a possible future in which both our brains and our entire beings are mechanised'. (I have one question Ray – why?)
While some, like the ability to 'copy human consciousness onto an electronic medium', predicted for 2030, are truly scary . This copying of human 'consciousness' will not only “enable humans to take any form, but humans will no longer die as there will no longer be flesh, blood and bones but 'just a scan of your brain on a machine” as Inverse puts it. (Why Ray, why?) Though Kurzweil does say a definition of consciousness cannot be determined as it's a philosophical question.
Of course Elon Musk himself is raising eyebrows by suggesting that Douglas Adam's version of earth run as an experiment by mice may not be that far off.... Okay, sans the mice. He's in fact suggesting more of a simulation type idea like the one in The Matrix – and that it may actually already be in place. Eish!
In the sixties people took hallucinogenics to come up with this sort of data, and sadly their predictions did not pay very well
Meanwhile, another Ray... Hammond, A British futurist, tells us that after the mid-2030s there will be significant “technological unemployment” and millions of humans will find themselves without work. He says 'In the transition period there will be two sorts of humans employed, those who tell computers what to do, and those who are told what to do by computers. Soon afterwards, only the most highly skilled, creative and talented humans will find paid work.'
As for creative talent, Kurzweil believes computers will be able to paint, write, and compose far better than humans ever will. We will also communicate with dead relatives. (Again, why, Ray, why?)
I don't much like these predictions or these futures. I feel these futurists are missing the spiritual dimension of life. They equate thinking and awareness with consciousness and Spirit. This is a big discussion I will not go into here.
Either way, I do think we need to focus (all) our attention to ensure that all of that does not come to pass. Hell no!
Prophets and prophecy have been around for a very long time. From the oracle of Delphi, to the Mayans, Nostradamus and more recently Edgar Cayce. They all took views on the future. And some of the time their prophecies were spot on.
Yet as all the doomsday followers discovered in 2000 when the world was supposed to end and 2012 when the world was to end again, prophecy can be altered. Because looking into the future from this particular spot and moment in time will give one probability, whereas if tomorrow, we shift just a little to the left or the right the future changes in that moment to something completely different. So does the past.
All futures are nothing more than energetic probabilites that beam out from a specific energetic time and place and also resonance. Change the time, the place or the resonance and everything changes. In an instant.
When you shift your position, the future changes. Shifting position means letting go of attention on a particular thing and placing attention on something else. The minute you do that, you start to add energy to that new thing. Energy follows thought. And what you focus on expands.
I like to imagine a world which has less machines, computers, and mobiles in it. Less wi-fi and other frequencies polluting the airwaves. I like to imagine a future where people are spread out around the world and there is less congestion. A move towards real, wholesome things. Less junk, plastic, additives, non food, chemicals.
I like the idea of transport portals replacing airplanes at least if not also cars. I look forward to a world in which we become freed of the obsession with possessions. We become content to live. Work less, enjoy more. Write poetry and dance. Spend time creating beautiful things.
I would like to disband all the military in the world and use all those billions to create the most awesome houses around the world. Food and shelter for all will not only be possible but there will be masses of change. There is no shortage in the world really - just mis-allocation and imbalance.
I would like to see schools where children have fun and learn what really matters - compassion, relationships, how to keep yourself healthy in both body and mind, perhaps languages of other species.
I like to imagine a new renaissance era of beauty and peace.
Which brings us back to imagine. Imagine peace. Imagine homes for all. Imagine warmth and happiness for all the children. Imagine full dams and green lush fields. Imagine clear, clean air. Imagine kind, wise leaders filled with positive intent to create expansion and enlightenment.
Imagine the tomorrow of your best possible dreams.
Imagine!
We create the future!
“Allow yourself to live on a planet of peace, harmony and wisdom, without pollution. This is your major task at this time...Realise that the greatest service you can perform for the planet at this time is the work of imagining a positive future for yourself and others.”
Master Djwal Khul from 'The Diamond Light'