I’m the kind of person who has a two-year plan, a five-year plan, and a ten-year plan. I like to have at least some idea of where I’m headed in life. How else would I know which steps to take in the present moment? There are so many possibilities and directions I could go, but without some idea of a destination, I would just wake up one morning and wonder how I ended up there. Having goals, dreams, and aspirations narrows the possibilities down as to which paths to take and which ones to avoid. As an individual, I have a guiding image or dream I’m working towards, but what about on a collective scale. What is our guiding dream as a nation?
Do countries need an image to guide their decision-making? Do the people of the U.S. have a goal they are working towards as a nation, beyond trying to pay their bills? The first guiding images were of European people settling in America from sea to shining sea. The next was the U.S. becoming a world power and everyone thinking infrastructure and technology was the way forward. Now, I feel like we don’t really have a national image that the average person can get behind.
Sure we have authoritative institutions pushing for centralized everything. One big rulebook that will apply to every place even if local conditions demand something different. This won’t serve the average person very well. But how does the everyday citizen feel about their nation? Do we get excited about where things are headed? Do we feel our problems are heard and addressed? Are we confident that our children will inherit a great place to live? I think you will agree, it’s a resounding no to all of the above.
So how can we go forth with good decision making if we don’t even have a goal in mind? Where does the average American see themselves and their town in ten years? Have we even thought about it? What if each of us came up with our own ideal national dream? What would it look like? Using that image, we can then measure whether law makers are doing a good job or not. Isn’t this a nation ruled by the will of the people?
I think we all have to take a moment and really ask ourselves what we would like to see and start voting for that with our dollars. It seems to be the only language authority figures understand. Buy into what you believe in, and withhold the money from that which you do not.
Here are some of the ways I have voted with my actions and wallet, based on my idea of a good future. Public schools are producing traumatized children who seem to have trouble integrating into the current world. I feel homeschooling may be the answer to that and (of course time will tell), so I homeschool my child. Mass produced food promotes illness. I think reading labels and demanding transparent labeling on food is important. In the meantime, I make sure to read labels and choose accordingly. I can also make or grow what I can. Housing and utilities are not guaranteed, but I think if I could figured out how to make a kin’s domain (see previous post), I would be putting the future generation (at least in my family line) in a much better position than the one I find myself in today.
If health, education, and housing are not the main focus of our national image, than what are we living for? How can we go fix another nation’s problems without having a good plan in place for our own? It’s like selling your stove to someone who “needs it” but now you don’t have a way to make meals for your own family. It doesn’t make sense. Each citizen needs to have a strong image of where they see their nation in ten years, based on their local community and local conditions. I picture a society where life, children, and nature are truly honored.
I don’t buy into the nonsense that is sold to everyone that change is too difficult. I have the ability to imagine new and better ways of doing things and I feel implementation starts with the individual. I’m seeing that dream of alternate solutions solidify more and more every day. Where action meets ideology there is manifestation. I invest in my own image of the future and buy into what I would like to see happen. I invite you to give it a try. We can both be unconventional humans walking a different direction to a future that our children will be happy to live in.
