Imagine what can be possible

There are a whole lot of things that currently need work.  In the world, in our society, in our communities, within ourselves.  One of the major challenges to doing that necessary work is knowing where to start.  With so many squeaky wheels, it's difficult to know which to prioritize first.  I have learned that what I tackle first matters a whole lot less than just getting started with any of them.  Picking one and getting going creates a helpful momentum for all the others.  It’s easy to become paralyzed by the need to tackle the correct thing first.

Luckily once you just pick something and start doing it, you will soon discover if there is something else you need to do before you can fully accomplish that thing.  That’s true for house projects, work projects, craft projects, and personal work.  I started picking apart my tendency to take responsibility for things I shouldn’t and discovered I first need to address some long-standing trauma of a different variety.  So I redirected my efforts to healing that trauma and hang out with that process for a while.  So it goes.

Another thing that makes doing the work extremely challenging is a lack of clarity on why we’re doing it in the first place.  There are some challenges I take on just because I like a good challenge, like trying a new sport or learning a new skill.  But when it comes to resolving societal ills or personal challenges, I don’t just want to do something difficult.  I’m doing this work because I want a better world for me and everybody else.

My ultimate desire is a world that takes care of people instead of pitting us against each other.  Our current systems and institutions don’t support that.  That means I also have to think all the way outside the box to come up with new things to try and new ways to engage myself and others.  I need to find the other people and organizations who are doing things differently and support those efforts.  And I have to be willing to fail a lot and try other approaches.

At the beginning of December I heard a news story about the Sackler family's bankruptcy case before the supreme court.  The Sacklers made a fortune creating and distributing one of the drugs that fueled the current opioid crisis.  Of the probable outcomes, one commentator said "We have to deal with what's possible."  Meaning: we have to settle for what’s possible.  To which I say: No. We have to use our damn imagination.  Of course we must work within the system we currently have because that's what we currently have.  But most importantly: we have to do that while also making sure it doesn't limit what we imagine we could have instead.

As I reflect on what was my 2023 and imagine what I would like from my 2024, I’m trying to remember that just because I don’t know how to accomplish something doesn’t mean it isn’t possible.  It just means I don’t yet know how to make it happen.  Lucky for me, none of us exist in a vacuum.  So there’s bound to be somebody I can ask.  And if they don’t know, they might know someone who knows someone who knows.  We’ve got the whole year ahead of us and we can make it into anything we want.  It all starts with just a little bit of imagination.

Happy New Year.

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Information and Inspiration

• YouTube: 2023, in 7 minutes
• The Guardian: World will look back at 2023 as year humanity exposed its inability to tackle climate crisis, scientists say
• BBC: Supreme Court considers $6bn deal that shields Sacklers
• YouTube: The Rise of War in 2023
• The Hill: A reason for hope in 2024
• Mental Floss: The Teenage Girl Gang That Seduced and Killed Nazis