A Vision of the Future

[David Hausladen]

I used to think flying cars and vertical cities were the ideal vision of the future--or more generally put, technology solving all the basic problems that we face today. As I got older, the future in my mind became more gritty and dystopian, with technology creating problems instead of solving them. But now, understanding the Law of Attraction, I understand these visions of the future are not an inevitable tide sweeping down on us whether we want it or not. The future which will come will be the product of the most powerful intentions held by the mass of people.

Every one of our intentions will play a role in the the future of humankind. So I'm curious to hear your thoughts: What should we intend for our common future?

I'll start with one I believe will be fairly non-controversial: I believe we should intend total nuclear disarmament for the world.

[Daniel Terhorst]

"The Future is Now"

I don't even remember where I first came across that phrase, but I'm sure most people have at least heard it. Regardless of its origins, I think it holds an important point:

Whether you're banging rocks together and living in a cave, pushing 9 to 5 in a corporate office, or piloting space ships to the outermost regions of the universe, today is yesterday's future. The future is now.

Are we any more or less happy about it? Really? Right now? Today? Will that change 5, 50, 500, 5 million years from now?

I think Terry Pratchett puts it well:

Originally Posted by Terry Pratchett

It's a popular fact that 90% of the brain is not used and, like most popular facts, it is wrong. Not even the most stupid Creator would go to the trouble of making the human head carry around several pounds of unnecessary grey goo if its only real purpose was, eg, to serve as a delicacy for certain remote tribesmen in unexplored valleys, it is used. One of its functions is to make the miraculous seem ordinary, and turn the unusual into the usual. Otherwise, human beings, forced with the daily wondrousness of everything, would go around wearing a stupid grin, saying "WOW" a lot. Part of the brain exists to stop this happening. It is very efficient, and can make people experience boredom in the middle of marvels

I think that no matter what good or bad exists in this physical world, people will always find things to be happy or dissatisfied with.

I don't know that I can really answer your question. I intend to find pleasure in what I have today.

-- Daniel Terhorst

[Nico Kempe]

Originally Posted by Daniel Terhorst

Otherwise, human beings, forced with the daily wondrousness of everything, would go around wearing a stupid grin, saying "WOW" a lot.

heh, I do that rather often you know

[David Hausladen]

Daniel: You make a good point about the fact that the overall character of a person's experience is not changed by time. It's important to locate your happiness in the now rather than projecting it to some point in the future (or the past).

It's actually in that vein that I'm suggesting we try to imagine what we want in the world's collective future. In my own life, the happiness of creating the future I want through intention--and then seeing that future unfold--is one of my greatest joys in the present.

My point, essentially, is that even as we are grateful for the things manifesting now, we can envision a future which, while different, is just as good or better. Why shouldn't we?

(I realize now that maybe this should have been posted under Intention-Manifestation. It has to do with values, purpose, and changing the world, though, and this section caught my eye first.)

[Adam]

Along the lines of nuclear disarmament, I want to see total disarmament. Those who know me will think this is kind of a weird request, since I'm a veteran of the US Army, and I think that it is important to have a well trained volunteer military at all times.

I don't think, however, that having a well trained, armed military is the way to go. There are several uses for the military that go way beyond pulling a trigger or pressing a Big Red Button. Volcanoes erupt, and standard emergency workers can't deal with disasters on that scope. Hurricanes destroy regions, and there has to be a group of people who are ready at a moment's notice to rescue those who were unable to get out of its path. I don't think that any military should be disbanded, but I do believe that its secondary mission of bringing war and destruction is counter-productive to its primary mission of protecting the lives of human beings. (I didn't say "citizens" on purpose, because that's another distinction that I want to see disappear... Everyone should have equal rights in whatever nation they find themselves in. That's just my very controversial opinion, though. )

My life purpose is to bring peace to everyone. If we remove the fear of armed military, then we are one step closer.

[Daniel Terhorst]

Originally Posted by David Hausladen

It's actually in that vein that I'm suggesting we try to imagine what we want in the world's collective future. In my own life, the happiness of creating the future I want through intention--and then seeing that future unfold--is one of my greatest joys in the present.

My point, essentially, is that even as we are grateful for the things manifesting now, we can envision a future which, while different, is just as good or better. Why shouldn't we?

You make a good point.

Otherwise, as Steve Pavlina said, we may as well be visiting this site instead.

Originally Posted by Adam

(I didn't say "citizens" on purpose, because that's another distinction that I want to see disappear... Everyone should have equal rights in whatever nation they find themselves in. That's just my very controversial opinion, though. )

It's a thought I have mirrored myself on more than one occasion...

-- Daniel Terhorst

[David Hausladen]

Adam: I agree with you on the idea of total disarmament (my initial plug for nuclear disarmament was partly to test the waters and partly to give an easy example). The idea of yours which to me is new, surprising, and insightful, is that of keeping the military around, but for the purpose of "fighting" large-scale disasters and calamities. That's a humanitarian cause that I wouldn't have thought of.

It also sounds like you and Daniel are also suggesting equal rights for all human beings, in all nations. I'd be willing to put my intentions toward that.

[Michael Chui]

I want to see a world government. For those of you who have read the Shadow Saga (from Ender's Shadow to Shadow of the Giant) should hear a reference here to the FPE. I don't want to divulge any spoilers, but I like that vision for humanity.

I haven't quite managed to imagine it yet, but I'm working on that.

[Nico Kempe]

Originally Posted by Michael Chui

I want to see a world government.

We already have that, it's called America.

But I think I know a little what you mean.

Hmmz future vision, well I haven't had much of an optimistic vision of humanities future to be honest, and more than once I was convinced that humans will cause their own demise.

Ofcourse when you think of the law of attraction, then that vision is baaad, very bad, and I imagine many people have that vision too.
So basically humanity should get more positive, think more optimistic, more happy, more social, spiritual if you will.
I would like that, more open-ness and spirituality, that would be neat.

The last year I have noticed an improvement in that area; I've met several people who think that openly, people who like to discover more, also on spiritual experiences, people who truly believe there's more to life than the default day-to-day egoic reality we know of.
And when I then also notice movies like "What the bleep to whe know", "new biology" and "the secret", it seems that we are moving towards a more conscious era, so there is still hope..)

[Matt]

Originally Posted by David Hausladen

So I'm curious to hear your thoughts: What should we intend for our common future?

Sustainable energy and for humanity to have a more symbiotic relationship with nature (in contrast to the parasitic relationship we have now).

Small balanced governments for all the nations of the world with much less corruption.

The end of poverty and starvation.

[David Hausladen]

Michael Chui: I can see how a world government could create a great deal of good for the world. I don't recognize the reference, which isn't surprising considering I've only read the first two books in the Shadow Saga, and can't remember them very well. I think the good done by any form of world government would really depend on its form.

I'm half-inclined toward peaceful anarchy, but I can't see any way to create that condition without opening the door for tyranny to immediately follow. You'd almost have to create a world government to prevent governments from arising...which, of course, makes no sense.

Maybe I'll look up the Shadow Saga on Wikipedia and see if I can find some info on the example of world government that you mentioned...could be interesting.

Nico Kempe: I know what you mean about dystopian futures--it's hard to be optimistic in the face of current events. Then again, maybe things are overall better now than they've been at any point in the past, and the only reason things look bad is because of the way the media portrays it. And as you say, our collective vision of the future is what's actually responsible for how the future goes. My hope for this thread is that we can think about what things we really want to see in that vision, and by envisioning help the future to move in the right direction.

If I hear you correctly, one thing we ought to intend for the future is more optimism, happiness, spirituality...in short, a general movement toward higher consciousness. I'd certainly put my intentions toward that.

[starlequin]

Originally Posted by David Hausladen

Every one of our intentions will play a role in the the future of humankind. So I'm curious to hear your thoughts: What should we intend for our common future?

Tolerance and forgiveness.

[GeorgeMagister]

Originally Posted by starlequin

Tolerance and forgiveness.

I don't like the word tolerance. I'm not using the connotation it usually possesses as an ideal; literally, it seems like an ugly word that doesn't go far enough to change human behavior.

• I am tolerating this person with another creed in my neighborhood.
• I am embracing/accepting/living alongside this person with another creed in my neighborhood.

I don't know about you, but I see a big difference.

[starlequin]

tol·er·ance
   /ˈtɒlərəns/
–noun
1.
a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one's own; freedom from bigotry.
2.
a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own.
3.
interest in and concern for ideas, opinions, practices, etc., foreign to one's own; a liberal, undogmatic viewpoint.

That's pretty much how I see it.

[Ne Cede Malis]

Originally Posted by David Hausladen

I used to think flying cars and vertical cities were the ideal vision of the future--or more generally put, technology solving all the basic problems that we face today. As I got older, the future in my mind became more gritty and dystopian, with technology creating problems instead of solving them. But now, understanding the Law of Attraction, I understand these visions of the future are not an inevitable tide sweeping down on us whether we want it or not. The future which will come will be the product of the most powerful intentions held by the mass of people.

Every one of our intentions will play a role in the the future of humankind. So I'm curious to hear your thoughts: What should we intend for our common future?

I'll start with one I believe will be fairly non-controversial: I believe we should intend total nuclear disarmament for the world.

Nice idea. I don't understand the law of attraction, but I do have a sense of the inertia. All change is inevitable, sometimes slow, but inevitable. sometimes painful etc.. And within the inertia there are vested interests - no it's not conspiritorial - they are there.

So - I hope you're right. Maybe some good things will happen because sufficient numbers desire it - but is that the way it has been up to now?

Not sure.

Ne Cede Malis

[GeorgeMagister]

Originally Posted by starlequin

tol·er·ance
   /ˈtɒlərəns/
–noun . . .

That's pretty much how I see it.

I don't disagree with your use of that word. I imagined that that was your viewpoint, the definition supplied, of the noun. And, it really looks straightforward, but I find that it isn't.

It's not an excuse, but your post caught me on a bad day. I certainly did a crap job of explaining where I came from. I'll invoke the "I should know better than to switch denotation and connotation when I mean the other" card.

Here's how my post should read, without swift bravado typing:

I don't like to recommend the word tolerance in social discourse. I'm not using the denotation it should possess, which would be ideal; variably, it can be contorted into an ugly concept that hinges on the transitive verb being mistaken for the same virtue associated with the noun, that oft mishandled form of it doesn't go far enough to change human behavior.

I think my gregariousness and frustration with the word stems from difficulties I've run into, from a social justice standpoint. It seems that, sometimes, you run into people that claim to espouse tolerance.

I changed the form of the root word, in my example, to show the mishandling in some errant logic. The verb isn't simply always an intuitive conversion to respecting the foreign ideas, opinions, practices, of others in a fair, objective, and permissive manner, the way it can be wielded.

The verb also has the usage of merely being able to bear; put up with; endure. I think that is where the shortcoming lies, especially when it comes to veiled bigotry. Acceptance can be recognized as a universal ideal, but, there isn't much between being passive and acting out on bigotry for the people that could answer in a poll that they practice tolerance, save for a thin line of civility holding them back.

The whole of my two cents is semantics. I actually agree with you. What I just spent extra time backtracking was why my preference isn't to use it when I discuss the same concept. That was a lot to throw at you, and it was misplaced, especially when I don't disagree with your premise.

I'm just really jaded and not with you, starlequin, I'm sorry it came off as a quick off-handed objection.

[Tanemon]

I found this thread when I made a key-word search in the Pavlina archives for threads discussing "attitude". And I read the opening post in this thread, and realized that I resonate withdeisring positive conditions for humankind - including nuclear disarmament (not to mention a general trend toward disarmament - which somebody mentioned later).

Perhaps through the principle of Attraction (Law of Attraction), in my personal life I've wound up with a group of intelligent, ethical, well-intentioned friends. Which is a good thing.

But in my work life and in projects within the community, I've been disappointed by people (probably more often than not). Disappointed usually by people's willingness to be picky and petty with each other, or their lack of commitment, lack of honesty, tendency to not follow through, things like that. Occasionally, these things have hurt or inconvenienced me personally - more of the time, they've hurt the project, objective, or business we were mutually involved in.

This being the case, and while as I say I do have friends who are good people, I've come to a place where I don't expect much from people generally. And not expecting much, I'm sometimes pleasantly surprised when they do something helpful, unselfish, contributive, honest - or something that displays self-discipline.

This is honestly how I feel, though I'd truly like to say that I have great expectations for humanity. I believe if I could really feel this, it would be better LOA-wise.

Anybody else wrestled with this one?