Thinking About the Future

We talk about the future all the time, but what do we really mean? The future exists as a shifting range of possibilities, potentialities, options, and opportunities. Unless we understand this, we risk disappointment in our efforts to create a better life for ourselves and our world. Disappointment grows out of the belief that the future owes us something. Instead of seeing the future as an open-ended invitation to hard work and adventure, many of us view it as a "done deal." We simply take the future for granted. According to this simplistic view, the future is not something we plan for or worry about because it is going to work out in a certain way for us, regardless of what we do. Such a deterministic perspective makes it easy to become lazy or shortsighted because we expect tomorrow to be handed to us on a silver platter. Problems arise, however when the future fails to live up to our expectations (as it almost always does!). As a result, disappointment takes over and robs us of the power and inspiration we need to go forward.

A much more healthy and productive understanding of the future interprets it as a work in progress. It is under construction, and we are among its many architects and builders. Together, we are creators of a new reality. Of course, to do this we will need insight, wisdom, and knowledge. We will also need to accept the great responsibility that comes with creating something new and different.

As I said at the top of this blog post, the future is a range of possibilities, potentialities, options, and opportunities. This needs some unpacking:
1) Possibility refers to what can happen. When thinking about the future, it is important to have a realistic understanding of what IS possible and what IS NOT possible.

2) Potential has to do with potency and power. Some possibilities have greater power to change things for the better than others might have. Just because something is possible, that doesn't mean it has the greatest potential for realizing our dreams and visions for the future. In creating our future, we must keep our eyes open for possibilities with potential.

3) Options are choices. It is all well and good to consider possibilities and potentialities for the future. If something is actually going to happen, however, we must be willing to make a choice. Too many individuals, groups and communities fail in their planning efforts for the future because they shy away from decision making. Decision is part of the creative process.

4) Opportunity is the convergence of these other elements (possibility, potential, and option). By looking for possibilities, identifying those with the greatest potential, and considering our choices, we create opportunities for success. Opportunities, therefore, represent the future ready to be made real.

In all of this, the Spirit of the Divine is at work, calling us to move forward with courage toward a new and better day. May we all envision possibilities, realize our potential, exercise our options, and make the most of every good and honorable opportunity. In this way, I believe we will be responsible partners with the Divine in creating a beautiful tomorrow.