To imagine a future – first of all, we were born with it!
What enabled humans to dominate the world in the face of large, powerful animals? Prof. Yuval Noah Harari argues that it is the ability to act cooperatively in large numbers and flexibly. This ability of humans to cooperate in large quantities of people, from transmitting information to creating solutions to problems, is what allowed us to dominate, and the basis for all of this is language and the ability to imagine.
These abilities of the human mind to desire things that are not in reality and create them and find an effective way to convey this message with the help of words, language, is what makes all the difference. So if it suited the entire human race to conquer a world and create a world, it will suit each and every one of us to create and live the life we deserve.
We humans believe in stories. We live from stories. And I don’t mean childhood stories and fairy tales that some of us still have an influence on today, and some are waiting for a prince or princess to save them the effort… but in general, the stories that we have created as a society. And for this purpose, everything that is not part of earthly reality is actually a type of story. Belief. The values that we have defined as human, the beliefs about life in this world and the next, politics – countries, borders, economics – stocks, banks, money… If enough people believe in a story, it is ultimately perceived by us as truth, as an objective reality, like sand, sea and rain. Present, clear and existing.
But, we actually live in a dual reality – the objective physical reality, and the reality of our imagination as a society and as individuals, the fictional reality. This layer of fictional reality is much stronger and controls us much more than the objective reality.
And since that’s how things are, this is our biological characteristic – the ability to imagine and create worlds and communicate them and harness partners to dream a vision, and even though Prof. Harari happens to be living a fictional reality, why don’t we use this tool – for the benefit of creating a better future, a future that we also want for ourselves?
Imagining the future is a human need.
Another human trait inherent in us is the need to do better and improve. We are born with a desire to grow and develop. As children, we imagine the future and what it will be like when we grow up. In these imaginations, we have more possibilities than exist, with more power and influence. We experiment with imagination, play “as if” and practice possibilities that are not currently available to us. Our imagination is a natural part of who we are as humans.
And it doesn’t go away. At any age we have the imagination about what would happen if… There is no person who won’t easily answer you a question like if you had more money what would you do differently… And oops it turns out we have a lot of imagination. What stops us is not the imagination but the perception of reality.
A limiting perception of reality, one that sees existence as the sole possibility, or the self as a victim, implicates the story and life itself. Because our story is actually our life. And this story goes back and forth in time. And yes, it is within our control. It is within our control how to tell it and what to derive from it.
Shaping the past influences shaping the future
How will we look at the past, how will we tell it? What words will we choose to use in describing ourselves as the protagonists of the story? What will we focus on, what will we emphasize? What will we remember? None of us really remembers the “real” story because there is none. Or the facts exactly as they were. After all, the story we tell is our own unique perspective on that unique time period. Returning to the stories of the past and telling them in a way that allows us to understand something about ourselves, to understand the meaning of what happened and our role in it can teach us a lot about what is truly important to us and about our strengths.
A good saying that runs in our family when it comes to childhood stories is “Why ruin a good story with facts?” After all, who really remembers the facts? Whose facts are the older brother’s? The teacher’s? The little child’s? The parent’s?…
Imagining a future - stepping out of the current story
So, how does all this help us in our vision of the future? How do we harness our natural qualities and our human needs for our own benefit? How do we create the reality we desire? We begin with imagination. By imagining possibilities, by imagining the best reality we would like to achieve for ourselves.
And this is where many fall into the trap and get stuck in the economic or the victim section. The beauty is that in imagination you don’t have to be precise. The goal of imagination is to create and create the direction that is right for us and truly meaningful to us. The same direction that is connected to who we are and what is close to our hearts, what inspires passion and a desire to do, to take part, to be.
Find what works for us and is important to us over the years and connect it to the future we want to create. Techniques for how to do this can be read here . There are lots of ways – guided imagery, working along the timeline, stories from the past, a farewell party or any way that will allow you to fly a little above the ground for a moment to see the big picture, and then land and start building the path from here to there step by step.
Shaping the future - creating new possibilities
One of the significant things that imagination allows us, even just as an exercise for the brain, a kind of hopping between the lobes, is that it is an exciting game in creating new possibilities. If we don’t let fear take over or as we usually call it – “this is reality” or “I’m a rarity” to take over, a thought may arise about something that doesn’t exist at the moment. It seems like something far away that won’t come true, maybe even a fantasy. What’s important is not to panic. Not to stop the imagination. This is exactly what is required of us to create new possibilities. To see something that doesn’t exist and want it. This gap is the most powerful engine that will make you take action.
In personal coaching, we work on this gap. Between what exists and what we want. If there is no gap, if everything is great, there is no need for coaching. You just need to live. If there is a gap but the person does not believe that they can overcome it or that it is not in their control… you can work on it, on the perception that prevents them from seeing other ways. In any case, coaching is always intended to advance us between the current situation and a desired future side. Even if at first it seems very far from what exists.
In honor of the new year, and despite the “Covid-19” (this Covid liver), the Corona, which disrupts what would have seemed like normal life, the lockdown gives us time to think about the reality we want. Don’t rush to give up on dreams or freeze them.
Knowing what I want and where I’m going is the same process in the days of Corona and not Corona. The difference will be in the ways of implementation in the new reality.
And as Dr. Seuss said, “If you go out, you will reach wonderful places.” So maybe the lockdown is keeping you at home, but your thoughts are free to fly far, far away to fascinating places.
