In a two hour workshop, hosted by the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Santa Cruz County participants used their imaginations to imagine – a – nation like ten year old Lala in our first play. In the play, Lala claims that “this Lovely-town, the garden, the railroad, or even the flying machine. . .somebody had to have imagined them first, or not a one of them coulda come to be!” So, by golly, we sat down to do it. . .imagine a nation that we want to live in. And I don’t think any of us expected the outpouring of beauty and creativity that emerged.
But most beautifully to me, in addition to imagining, the participants also shared a stunning array of people and places who are already living the reality of these imaginings, or who are working to make them possible, or ways that we ourselves can manifest our wildest visions. If you have resources you would like us to share, let us know, and in our next post we’ll mention it!
Ranging from political to spiritual, practical to poetic, idealistic to visionary, here is the mind-blowing range of responses:
Imagine a nation….
where we treasure our elders, children, and in fact all people
where human knowledge is viewed as a collective treasure to be shared by all
where all the prizes of civilization are available to all; health care, art, education. . .and all are welcomed to contribute the treasure troves of the civilization
where the ‘culture of stupidity’ is transformed into the ‘culture of compassion and wisdom’
where education is life long, available, diverse, and not forced
where people share multiple stories that ground them in the eons of life’s evolution, reminding us of the lessons learned from being trees or fish and of our connection to other beings that still exists within us
where people can discern wisdom and apply their attention accordingly
where people treasure diversity and agreement equally
Imagine a nation. . .
where troubles are quickly identified and addressed
where in troubled times even our children know how to lend support to the resolution of the issues
where conflict or violence is resolved by sending folks to a ‘love chamber’ to get ‘tuned up’
where every citizen has excellent communication skills and speaks compassionately about other people.
where people practice non-judgmental acceptance and wise evaluation
Imagine a nation. . .
that has a national food grid that rebuilds ecosystems
where everyone knows where their food and water comes from and honors those places
where landscapes are subfused with conscious marriage to the land
where there are vast stretches of un-scarred land
where it is understood that the earth is our commons
where the Earth has rights and the consciousness of the planet is acknowledged and nurtured collectively
where we heal all toxic waste on the planet
where ownership is viewed as stewardship that comes with more responsibility than privilege
where ownership concepts might shrink to toothbrushes and underwear
Imagine a nation. . .
where every person has space to enjoy privacy and nature
where architecture reflects community and collaboration
where small homes are prized
where our shelters are created organically and require minimal destruction
where animals are not killed for food by people and we honor the natural killing or giving of life deeply
where villages celebrate their local flavors and provinciality
where travel is rare, precious, and still possible
Imagine a nation. . .
of intentional communities
and localized community banks, credit unions, coops
that has fair distribution of resources
in which industry values compassion over profits
where corporations exist for the benefit of the people they serve and are reviewed annually for continued existence (much like we have to register and smog check our cars)
where Gross National Happiness is our most important index (like in the country of Bhutan)
Imagine a nation. . .
where people are safe from physical violence and threat of violence
where a great healing takes place
where it is understood that healing is a gift, not a commodity
where healthcare is free for all
where everyone is healthy and no longer getting sick
Imagine a nation. . .
of whole people with respect for themselves and each other
that wants to feel good
where we trust the goodness of each other
where the pursuit of happiness and enlightenment is a way of life
where we remember our soul’s journey
Imagine a nation. . .
where our media prides itself on presenting multiple viewpoints rather than one biased or even attempted unbiased viewpoint
where government is run by the people for the people
where people look forward to participating in politics
where ‘heretics’ are welcomed and differences of opinion abound and enliven our lives
where all systems are transparent, with no secrets, all information is shared
where the innate gentleness of Obama is appreciated
where women make political appointments and serve on governing councils
Imagine a nation. . .
where all people are awake, present, understanding of responsibility, relaxed, flexible with no stress or tension
that is employed in serving the basic needs of all humanity
where art and creativity are valued and natural
where artists are employed presenting human possibility
where Madison Avenue sells compassion and insight
where all people are engaged in meaningful work, contributing to society through the job they want to do
where everyone has recreation, rest, creativity, joy, play and PARTY!
Imagine a nation. . .
where people freely give their money to support the well being of community as a whole
where we have a gift economy and no money
where people give freely without attachment or expectation of return
where people form small trading collectives with each other
Imagine a nation. . .
that encourages human exploration of the cosmos
that explores worlds of alternative realities
where teenagers might live with 2nd families, or all of us are a family, one human family with no separation
where we see ourselves in multiple timelines of history and future
that considers a fully telepathically connected community
that might communicate with extraterrestrial families and a greater galactic community
that discovers how to live off light or no longer has to eat food or breathe air
that legalizes drugs or even asks ‘what is a drug’? or thanks the plant spirits that brought so many ‘drugs’ to us
that honors the nomadic, the transient, and the ‘vagabonds’ of consciousness
Imagine a nation. . .
with non-polluting transportation
a commitment to no excess CO2’s
solar panels on every home
vehicles covered with solar energy generation paint
all homes and buildings are energy neutral
all energy production is self-perpetuating and non-polluting
Imagine a nation. . .
that needs no prisons
that wages no war
that has no military power
that’s holidays are all peace days
that has no hunger
in which no one claims wealth until all are fed, clothed, and sheltered
that cares more that all have a place to sleep than about who is sleeping with whom
that meets all the needs of people and has clean air, water, and respect and dignity for animals
and where all the children are happy!
This is our imagine a nation, that has now been planted like a seed in your imagination. Help us garden it and “with a little wind, water, sun, and time. . .maybe it’ll grow to be!” Next post: fertilizer, soil conditions, new gardening techniques, and the phenomenal team of people nurturing the growth of this imagine-a-nation!
Email all tips and contacts to rivera@risingsundancetheater.com
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