They Stole Our Future

These words where written in large part in reaction to Big Oil vs the World. Although, Future Wip has been an idea I have been playing with since I wrote (and never published) Crafting Positive Imaginings for 2050 and Beyond around New Years 2021.

They stole our future.

25 years lost. More.

This is your world I am living in. Your world I will have to live with.

Your paradigms.

You betrayed humanity.

How have we let this happen. How are we still letting it happen.

We are better than this. We were betrayed.

Our institutions, our structures of government, economy, education and society have been corrupted. Money and power infiltrates and subverts everything.

I am scared for the future. My future. Our collective future.

When will they realise this is their future too.

We will look back with shame.

All of us share some of the responsibility. Some of the blame.

But that blame is not shared equally.

25 years lost. At least. But 25 years ago I was 2 years old.

In 2012 I was 17 years old. Another missed chance.

It is your past that shaped my present, and continues to shape our future.

2022 is already a terrifyingly hostile environment. How many more years will we loose? Is it already too late?

When will we change, how can we change? What does that change even look like?

We suffer from a collective failure in imagination.

I have to believe there are future presents, that are not shackled to and constrained by humanity's past.

Beautiful futures. Caring futures. Loving futures. Safe futures. Inclusive, diverse, creative, joyful futures.

Futures we could all call home.

Futures that future generations might thank us for creating.

Future Wip lives there. He knows we can change. He has seen it. He lives it.

These are his experiences. My experiences from these future presents.

I'm terrified.

What world might we leave to the future generations. To my children and their children. What pasts and paradigms will constrain and empower their presents.

We all get to participate in shaping these.

The power of imagination, of narrative, of story feels key. To be able to articulate visions for these futures in rich detail.

It is difficult. Imagination is a gift of humanity that we don't cultivate and appreciate enough.

Future Wip is my attempt to practice. To start crafting possible futures I would be proud to call home.

Every single one of us has been betrayed. How are these actors still in power? It makes me crazy. Where does the buck stop. Who is accountable? Who is going to step up and take some responsibility? How can we hold them to account?

Liars.

They stole our future.