105. In This New World – Marie Howe
What if we use our imaginations to imagine not our fears but our hopes? To create in writing a world we want to live in?
For the first time in the history of the planet every country is connected by this Covid pandemic, and has slowed down or come to a great pause. This is a time for us to imagine a future that we have not been able or willing to imagine before.
So many films have been made about the destruction of the world, so many dystopias written and watched. We have seen so many fictional people murdered and tortured on films and on television, and in real life and online. What if we use our imaginations to imagine not our fears but our hopes? To create in writing a world we want to live in? A world we want our friends and families to live in? A world we want the other animals to live in? A detailed vision?
It’s painful sometimes to imagine what we believe we can't have.
At the Dodge Poetry Festival years ago, we set up a tent called Imagine the Future. People felt foolish writing their visions on the big board. Or they felt afraid—or cynical. “It'll never happen” so many people, especially young people, said. But sometimes someone would step up and write something.
One young woman wrote, “In this new world, I could walk to the store at night and not be afraid.”
The poet William Blake wrote, “What is now proved was once only imagined.”
– Marie Howe
Prompt:
Let's write a description of the world we really want. Let's be exuberant, and dare to create it. Picture it, and be as particular as you can. Gardens on every city roof? What is growing there—corn? flowers? trees? Enjoy every detail. It is possible if we imagine it.
Heather Viviano
Location: Seattle, WA
About: Imagining a better world
Age: 51
In this world no one would go hungry and there would be no war. Everyone would have a roof over their head. The inhabitants of this world would always be guided by what is best for the collective, never thinking of what's in it for the individual. This would come naturally because it would be taught from birth, woven into the fabric of existence there. Keeping the world and it's inhabitants healthy would be the driver. Everyone would have a job that contributed to this in some way.. Money wouldn't exist. Everyone would have access to health care. Every human would be regarded with equal value.
The air and water would be clean because everyone would work to keep it that way, knowing that is what is best for the collective.
There would be no yelling. Arguments would be resolved using one's intellect and listening skills, not through bullying or intimidation. Respect for one's fellow human would be a requirement.
There would be music and art in every household and equal academic opportunities for every individual. I'm not sure what we'd do with the bad guys. Maybe just jettison them into outer space? Heck, let's just say by the time we achieve this world, bad guys have been bred out of the human race and we can all just be nice and do the right thing for a change.
At night there would be music and dancing in the streets.
I'm sure there's more...I could think things up for hours...but this is a good start.
Most importantly, no hunger, no war, and a roof over the head of every soul.
Linda Gerber Schreiner
Location: Minneapolis, MN
About: I am a recently retired Clinical Social Worker and I discovered The Isolation Journals about mid-way through the 100 days. It has ignited my creativity juices and introduced me to a community of world neighbors that have enriched my life and warmed my soul! This was one of my favorite prompts. I smiled the whole time, pondering it and writing about what I would love to see in my ideal world!
Age: 64
What a glorious prompt is this! It is like a mini-vacation to travel to my imagined ideal world! A vacation that I wish would never end….
So, here we are! Let’s look around….
Obviously, there is no homelessness, starvation, power-mongering greedy billionaires, abuse, violent crime, prejudice, pollution, or global warming.
Our leaders are elected fairly and have the welfare of the population as their priority, they do not lust for control or world domination. They seek unity and actively invite participation, input and peace.
I prefer no pandemics, but should one happen to sneak in, everyone happily wears a mask, no need for stink-eye to be given to mask wearers or non-wearers.
Wars are only in the history books. Readers are incredulous that such events ever occurred, it seems as distant as cavemen days.
All people have unconditional love in their lives.
Everyone has a puppy.
That puppy shall stay a puppy forever, never losing that puppy smell (but is trained to perfection, no accidents!)
No need for guns. Sorry, NRA, not sorry.
No traffic jams or road rage.
All people respect others’ beliefs, life-styles, and personal choices. No need to march to gather support for these things, just marches of celebration for ourselves and each other.
And the number one thing in my ideal world, and I can’t stress this enough, chocolate is the best health food!
Ryan Chepita
Location: Ottawa, ON, Canada
About: I originally came here for a fun challenge during the shutdown of 2020, and this experience has taught me that I must not abandon writing again! This entry was inspired by the quality I treasure most in leaders: honesty.
Age: 42
In childhood, my head and heart embraced recycling. Helping our earth and animal friends, I’d meticulously obey the bin colours, while discouraging others who continued favouring laziness.
Decades later, a friend randomly mentioned how plastics that don't generate profits for the collector wind up landfill-bound. Verifying this crushed me.
This is 2020's modus operandi.
We're convinced we're the change.
We shame others who don't comply.
We're suckers for spectacle.
However, wholesale change doesn't benefit those who can truly summon it. I want a world where the brightest minds and purest hearts have a legitimate chance to lead.
They would care.
Sharmila Rao
Location: Mumbai
Age: 54
A WONDERFUL WORLD
"Imagine ", crooned John Lennon’s baritone some four decades ago in a melody as hauntingly beautiful as its lyrics.
An anthem in the history of music, its theme seems to be an eternal plea as yet again our world stands at the crossroads of desperation and soul searching.
I am in bewilderment. What could I possibly imagine when around me things look so grim and hopeless? And, I try to pull myself to rise up and think again- maybe this is a test of the strength of the human spirit and the mind.
As I dare to imagine a New World and look ahead, I pause awhile to look over my shoulder too and take a leaf from the times gone by, for won't a world that does not acknowledge and learn from the beauty of its past be bereft of anchors that propel it into a secure future?
Our ancestors believed in a philosophy that revered Nature as a divine entity thereby achieving a mutual symbiosis that generously nurtured them for generations to come.
I want that kind of world. I want us, humans, to remember that we are mere visitors on this planet for a short span of time in fact almost inconsequential in the vastness of our galaxy and infinite Universe.
For me, to live in such a context then means to strive in our capacity with the sole purpose to ensure that our children may inherit a world better than what we did.
I am reminded of the great words of Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of our Indian Nation who so rightly said, " There is enough for everybody's need and not for everybody's greed".
May we carve out this New World from the angst of our songs and from the depths of our dreams so that it becomes a reality - let us breathe, eat, laugh, work, play and share together and truly live honest lives.
May it not remain just in our imagination anymore.
Sheila DeBonis
Location: Boston, MA
About: stream of conscious, observational diary
Age: 24
A Better Planet
Dystopias are certainly everywhere in the fictitious sphere, but I find utopias to be so bland, and almost more desolate. There’s got to be something to give us drive and ambition in the world. There’s got to be a catch to living in pure harmony.
Eden, Shangri-La, Arcadia…we can’t mimic any of their perfections. Still, it’s true that once our society returns to normal after this wave of disease wanes, it will morph.
I imagine this society will be less focused on everyone making their own individual travel arrangements. We may warm up to carpooling, wish to add more frequent routes to our bus and train cars, because when everyone is squashed in uncomfortably to the highest capacity possible, more germs can spread. If we allow passengers more personal space, they will be happier and healthier. People can’t always afford to get raw red fingers from gripping onto a floppy rubber handle one or two feet above them. They extend their wingspan at points they must relax in order to motivate themselves for their next work day. Because they have to grip so hard to stay balanced on the cart, they cannot do anything else. They could try using their unoccupied hand, but sometimes two are better than one. Just when you think you are at a safe spot in the route where the vehicle will be stopped for enough time to drink coffee, check your wristwatch, get something out of your bag, apply balm —whoosh— the cart zooms forward.
People will know that things make noise. Life happens and disturbances are inevitable. We’ll still control our surroundings, but not give as much grief to others if things go awry.
Further, our future can establish egalitarian privileges. I’ve mentioned before that my mother and her father both worked in telecom for many decades. For the majority of my grandfather’s tenure, there was only one telecom company: Bell System, founded by telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell. My mother was in the peak of her career in 1982 when Bell broke into “baby Bells,” hyper-regionalized independent companies. There was the New England Telephone Company here, then New England merged with New York’s company to form Nynex, then Nynex merged with the mid-Atlantic company and took on their name, Bell Atlantic, then Bell Atlantic merged with GTE Corporation to form Verizon. At that point, it was a giant even in its infancy as it was no longer regional, but covered a multitude of areas across the US. But because it had a hand almost everywhere, all metropolitans were prioritized. Rural and desolate areas still existed, but because the phone companies had a lot more area to play with, they neglected them.
There have been efforts to address the connectivity gap through grants sponsored by the USDA and other services, and a professor at my university worked on one of these initiatives. But still, they are sparse. Now that we’ve entered a time when digital readiness is essential to keep the world functioning, I will hope rural areas, ghettos, and projects will be afforded more attention towards accessing landlines, good mobile reception, DSL, and high-speed internet (maybe even fiber optics, though that’s not really likely so soon since even privileged cities such as mine cannot afford the costs of routing such cable systems. It has entirely different wiring than most telecom chords and contains delicate glass shards that conduct solar pulses to transmit signals). Before, Ford, Toyota, and Chrysler groomed rural folks to purchase heavy-duty pickup trucks to travel miles upon miles to and from work. The pickup portion to work the land and move things across distances. With social distancing still around, even in country life driving has lessened. Thus, there will be more demand for these dwellers to have better connections.
Terry Jago
Location: Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada
About: My perfect world has a lot of imperfection
Age: 69
My perfect world has a lot of imperfection.
I believe that we grow with some adversity, that we smile more after knowing days where smiles were hard to put on our face, and that we appreciate what we have by earning, building and sometimes by yearning.
My perfect world has weather of all sorts, warm, cold, windy, calm, stormy, peaceful, cloudy, clear skies, rain, sun. For without contrast, I might be bored.
My perfect world has just enough conflict to stretch our minds, and to help us depend upon God. We do know that people, though sometimes angry, have emotions, opinions and wonderful ideas. In my perfect word discussions would not be arguments. Love will prevail.
My perfect world has fresh food for all. To have that, our groceries would be from sustainable local markets or grow our own gardens. Container gardens, rooftop gardens, community gardens and patio gardens can be grown to good effect. Our staples would be free of preservatives, and although that means we won’t keep them for years on end, it also means farmers will have to produce the grains, and such to make good food. Our meat would be ethically raised, as best that can happen. Shortages might happen, but we might then try something new and appreciate the markets that our food comes from. My ideals for food right now is tempered by my budget so ideally, organic clean food, grass-fed beef, truly free-range chickens, eggs, pork would be priced affordably for all, allowing small farmers to thrive and the market to kitchen table industry to thrive. A tithe of food products and grains would be set aside for those who for now cannot afford food.
My perfect world would have billionaires giving some of their wealth to people and countries that need it, and that money would reach those who need it, not fill pockets of friends. Food in third world countries would not be dumped from the sky but harvested from irrigated and fertile land by the neighbours of those that eat them. The tithe again would go to those who needed it, and a hand up would be an enabling hand, not a close-fisted giving hand. The 10% tithe set up by God could work effectively. If ten percent of a multi-billionaire or millionaire’s wealth could be set apart, we could solve world hunger.
My perfect world would have people being told of the gospel, and people moving towards that without disdain and prejudices for those who do not believe what they do. There would still be many faiths, but kindness would be the tenants of all faiths. People would live in peace regardless of faith, gender, sexual orientation, economic status, colour of skin and arbitrary land borders.
My perfect world would not have wars and need for large armies, huge arms storage, or millions of dollars in war machinery. All countries would be committed to peace, but when there was a disagreement, and there would be, each would listen to arbitrators. Arbitrators would be from many world countries, not just the “great powers”. The world would be on an equal plane. No country would be excluded because of the race of their citizens. With economic plans that include sharing the wealth (not in a communist world where this is dictated ) but in a world where respect and dignity reigns.
My perfect world would be just a little like my favourite Irish Blessing:
May God give you
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a storm
For every care, a promise
And a blessing in every trial
For every problem life sends
A faithful friend to share
For every sigh, a sweet song
And an answer for every prayer
I believe that my perfect world would please God.
