How can we choose a vision for a better world? For some it’s easy, immediately they think of love, peace, joy, more colour or a green planet. However, our first thought is not always the one to choose in this current season.
From leading thousands of people through the transformational 4 step Imagineering 2 a Better World strategy: Imagine – Solution – Commit – Partner, about one quarter to almost one third of the people change their vision as soon as they start thinking about what it looks like specifically and some practical steps of how to achieve it.
Step 1 Imagine (Vision) If you imagine a better world, what does it look like to you?
It must be positive. We must be able to visualise it. We must be able to take steps toward achieving that goal. Many people choose a negative goal then wonder why they get stuck on Step 2, the solution step. For example, no violence or no poverty. The picture and thus the solution is concentrating on the negative and that is not a better world. Our minds do not recognise the negative. A simple and logical way to see this is no violence. To picture it many people draw a gun or something similar as an item or action of violence then put a cross through it, thus the picture is still of the negative. So, it needs to be changed to positive, for example
NO War –> Peace
or
NO Violence –> Harmony.
Poverty as a vision has a whole other set of complications. The opposite of poverty may be abundance or prosperity however many of us have had or continue to have wrong thinking (either consciously or unconsciously) about money and so soften the abundance or prosperity to enough or sufficient. Then we instinctively know that this isn’t right so not knowing how to modify this, we change the ‘vision’ altogether. This is often based on the LIE ‘money is the root of all evil’ whereas the TRUTH is ‘the LOVE OF MONEY is the root of all kinds of evil’. Aside from replacing the lie with the truth, another way to overcome this issue in the short term is to define prosperity. For example,
‘Prosperity is Love, Peace, Joy, Hope for the Future, Loyal Friends, Close Family, and Financial Freedom
(being able to do what you love whether it is paid or voluntary).’
~ Catherine Elliss~
Once defined there are less obstacles to overcome even sub-consciously. Particularly with prosperity, we understand that prosperity or success is not just about money or achievement in a chosen field if we simultaneously have an unhappy home life, addictions or are bankrupt. So, prosperity or success must be holistic.
A problem with the political left is that there is a belief that if all cannot have something then no-one should, or others will feel bad. This is a LIE. Fortunately, there are still people with healthy parental minds and actions that believe and act for their children to have the best! People are still attracted to excellence no matter what some would have you believe, just think of elite athletes, successful business people or pop stars or dare I say it, a happy traditional family with a mum and a dad.
Equality has proven to be another dilemma. Many profess to have equality as their goal and yet when asked to be specific regarding that goal, it is found to be faulty. Take a simple image to illustrate. Let’s say there is a game at a sports oval and some poor children who cannot afford the price of admission find a place to watch by looking over the fence.
Let’s say these shapes represent the children. If we say the lower line represents the fence, it is equal, and all can see the game, great. However, if we say the fence level is the upper line, it is equal however only the tallest can view the game. So, equality such as represented by communism is equal, that is unless it is not as shown by the upper line. To clarify, those who are above the line (such as the family and close friends of the ruling elite) have access to certain opportunities that the masses do not. I would argue the same for socialism, it still requires a ruling elite where the masses are provided for with little incentive to achieve. Usually people from either communist or socialist countries want to migrate to a democracy with a capitalistic structure. This is largely due to the options of a lifestyle of choice, where if you work hard you will be rewarded above those who do not want to work or not work hard. All countries may have services available to those less fortunate such as widows, orphans, those with physical and mental challenges and refugees. However, the amount of money available to pay for these services depends largely on the health of the business, banking and economic sectors as well as the integrity of those in government. We have seen time and again that if societies choose to take away the rewards for innovation, creativity and diligence that the society declines, and everyone suffers. Likewise, if those in power in a capitalistic democracy are not servant leaders who care for the group (as well as individuals) as compared to the rights of minorities over the group, chaos ensues as the rights of all diminish. For this last model to work, for the nation to become a just nation, the leaders need to be humble and not tempted by corruption and selfish ambition, whilst holding to universal truths like basic freedoms such as freedom of speech and freedom of worship as well as free enterprise.
When we choose equity, rather than equality so all have equal access, then everyone wins. Equity is usually the desired vision, however was unrecognised or misnamed as equality. Take this second illustration, an example of equity would be where the first two people are offered something to stand on thus creating equal access to the opportunity, in this case watching the game. All can see, so everyone is happy.
In a society with equity, if someone with a learning difficulty is studying at university for example, the options provided to undertake an exam may include extended time, or a scribe to write down answers or an alternate way of measuring success. Australia is a fine example of a country dedicated to equity, where even the poorest have access to medical care and good quality education. Currently this is under threat so it is particularly important for leaders to have wisdom and be able to see the logical consequences of similar choices made by other countries is required to limit and hopefully reverse lost freedoms.
Lastly, some visions are more straight forward with unambiguous solutions, such as to make a greener planet, plant trees! For more on visions, check out the video gallery.