We do have the capability to effect dramatic change, Hopkins argues, but we’re failing because we’ve largely allowed our most critical tool to languish: human imagination. As defined by social reformer John Dewey, imagination is the ability to look at things as if they could be otherwise. The ability, that is, to ask What if? And if there was ever a time when we needed that ability, it is now. No part of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form by any means without permission in writing from the publisher.

Transition: Bounce Forward - What If · What Next? Transition: Bounce Forward - What If · What Next?

Our imagination needs DIVERSITY. ‘’Imagination – that ‘ability to look at things as if they could be otherwise’ – needs diversity to feed it. Are we more likely to be imaginative if all our food comes from one vast supermarket, or from a variety of small producers in a vibrant market? If most High Streets across the UK look identical, with the same massive chains, how does that impact our imagination compared with living somewhere that is home to an abundance of businesses unique to that particular place? The longer our inertia persists, the steeper and more demanding that task becomes. As Jim Skea, co-chair of IPCC Working Group III, stated when the report was released, ‘Limiting warming to 1.5ºC is possible within the laws of chemistry and physics but doing so would require unprecedented changes.’ ⁷ An inspirational manifesto, From What Is to What If offers a template for creating dramatic, positive change.Engage with their Local Authority in developing Just Recovery plans which also respond to the climate and ecological emergency. Towns and cities have already begun transition. Together, mayors have chosen to press ahead toward a healthier and safer world. Whether in Paris or in Totnes, initiatives are being launched and are encouraging us to shift from 'why not' to 'how' and from 'how ' to 'when.' The movement must gain momentum and expand.

From What Is to What If: Unleashing the Power of Imagination

I call into work. I’m working a half day today, as part of my three-day work week. Adopted nationally ten years ago, the three-day work week, together with the introduction of Universal Basic Income, has resulted in measurably lower levels of anxiety and stress across all income classes. People spend free time working on community projects and enjoying their lives. Some of my colleagues are away today. A scheme was recently launched where up to 10 percent of staff from any company, at any given time, are embedded in the local community, offering managerial, marketing, financial planning and project management skills to organisations that are working in various ways to support residents and make our community more resilient. From What Is to What If is a call to action to reclaim and unleash our collective imagination, told through the stories of individuals and communities around the world who are doing it now, as we speak, and witnessing often rapid and dramatic change for the better.We all, adults and children, have an obligation to daydream. We have an obligation to imagine. It is easy to pretend that nobody can change anything, that we are in a world in which society is huge and the individual is less than nothing: an atom in a wall, a grain of rice in a rice field. But the truth is, individuals change their world over and over, individuals make the future, and they do it by imagining things can be different. As we began floating this idea with our friends and the wider community, the term ‘Transition’ arose to describe the intentional act of shifting from high resource use, high carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, extractive business practice and fragmented communities to communities with a healthier culture, more resilient and diverse local economies, more connection and less loneliness, more biodiversity and more time, democracy and beauty. ¹² People like Rob Hopkins give us the courage to move forward. By setting an example, he shows us that we are right to place our hopes in a future in which men and women can act as stewards of their environment. The many stories in this book are evidence of the fact that for some people this future has already become a reality.

From What Is to What If by Rob Hopkins - Ebook | Scribd

Stress reduces the functioning of the hippocampus. A paradox: When we need our imagination most, to get us out of stressful situations, its full possibilities tend to elude us. Are current generations living with low-level PTSD? Population struggling with trauma may be closer to 50%. Shouldn't we be measuring wealth by contentment rather than consumption? Milton Friedman wrote that only a crisis, actual or perceived, produces real change - but the actions taken depend on the results lying around, which means we need to be providing people with positive stories envisioning successful climate change adaptation and societal change. "We get so bogged down in staring straight into the abyss that we've lost our sight of heaven." The power of positive thinking - imagining the future and what it's like there - can affect behaviour and influences your decisions between now and the future. Functional imagery training should involve the future - like the Iroquois's 7 generations philosophy. There are also ways in which we can redesign our societies in such a way that more room and importance is given to our imagination. Hopkins highlights the important of more time for imagination in education, democracy and econ I love this book. It is an extraordinary, reality-based report on people around the world applying the power of imagination to rebuild relationships and create a fulfilling, creative, and possible human future together. An essential read for all who care.” —David C. Korten, author of Change the Story, Change the Future and When Corporations Rule the WorldReading this book is like listening to the voice of Rob Hopkins. A voice full of kindness, optimism, brightness, humor, and imagination. And that spirit is precisely what we need to build a better future and to reconnect with each other and the better part of ourselves. With this book, Rob poses a crucial question: How could we create another world, one in which human beings live in harmony with each other and with nature, if we are not able to imagine it first? We can’t—and that’s why this book is so necessary.” —Cyril Dion, writer, filmmaker, and producer of the film Tomorrow I pass what used to be one of the district’s supermarkets, most of which closed down about ten years ago. The explosion in community food production and rapid shift of community investment led to a withdrawal of support from supermarkets, which precipitated the collapse of the industrial food model over the space of only a couple of years. The building was repurposed and became home to a variety of local food processors, small-scale manufacturing and a training centre linked to local schools. The place is buzzing. Our former supermarket houses a mill that processes locally grown grains, as well as a sawmill that processes locally harvested timber. What had been extensive car parks are now intensive food gardens – modelled on those that surrounded Paris a hundred years ago – and they provide local food for local markets. That sounds gloomy, but the book definitely isn’t. It begins with a story ‘of how things turned out okay’, outlines the problem, and then sets about imagining things differently. Each chapter poses a ‘what if’ question: What if we took play seriously? What if school nurtured young imaginations? What if our leaders prioritised the cultivation of imagination?