John Lennon wrote the classic song “Imagine” in 1971, and its final verse had an inspirational message: “You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will live as one.” Those of us who envision the possibility of a more beautiful world are told that we are unrealistic dreamers who believe in miracles. But what is a miracle? It is not the intervention of an external force that comes out of nowhere and defies the laws of physics. A miracle is something that previously looked impossible because our limited view of the world could not comprehend it. When we expand our vision we open ourselves to greater possibilities that we could not see or understand before. The way to create “miracles” in our lives and on this planet is by broadening our awareness so that the “miraculous” becomes reality. Harnessing the power of your imagination is the key to making this transformation. Holding a clear vision of a different reality gives it explicit form, and creates the potential for it to come into existence. Your imagination becomes a bridge, linking your current reality to a more positive one. 

Let’s use our imagination to see what the world would look like if it was inspired by an evolved awareness. Compassion and common sense would be the guiding principles, with justice, freedom, abundance and happiness as the ultimate goals. These values would be at the heart of every aspect in our society. For instance, preserving nature would no longer be a problem, because a healthy and sustainable relationship with our beautiful planet would come naturally to a society of awakened beings. On a global level, the people of our imagined world could not possibly abide the atrocities of famine, war, injustice or violence. But how can we go from where we are to this more evolved stage of humanity? A good place to start is by imagining a different way to educate our children; a way that would promote and enhance their natural desire to be free and happy.

Our present system of education was created to provide society with pliant parts that would fit easily into the economy. From a very early age we must get up early every morning and go to a place that is impersonal and antiseptic. We are told that we must stay there until “they” ring the bell. Then we are allowed to go home, but we take with us “home-work” to make sure that we do not forget that work is our most important function. This makes us perfect automatons to fit into the economy. Once we finish our education the same monotony continues - every day we are forced to get up early and go to a place that we do not want to be. Only now it is not a school but an office building or a factory, and we must stay there until “they” say we can go home. In our imagined society education will be geared toward teaching us how to do the things we love - for our own sense of worth and for the betterment of all. Children will learn meditation in addition to mathematics; sensitivity in addition to science. They will be encouraged to think freely and follow their hearts to create careers that are joyful, productive and fulfilling.

What would health care look like in our imagined world? Now we are trained from an early age that if you have a physical problem the only place to go is to the doctors. While most of them are surely well meaning, they have been co-opted by the medical-industrial complex. Healing, which should be a gift, has instead become a profit centre dominated by greedy pharmaceutical companies. Their goal is not to heal us, because when we are healed they lose customers, and that is not good business. So their aim is to make us dependent on more and more of their drugs for the rest of our lives. We are seen not as fellow humans who need healing, but as perfect customers for the diseases they purport to treat. But if you let your imagination run free it can take you to an evolved society where healing is not a business. Health care would be free for all, with emphasis on healthy living as the best medicine. Our food supply would be clean, natural and nutritious. If a physical problem arose we would have access to integrated medicine, which blends the latest medical technology with natural alternatives to restore good health.

This would go hand in hand with a more just economic system. We live on a bountiful planet that is blessed with enough natural abundance for everyone to thrive, and yet many do not. The reason is that we are pitted against each other in a system that mirrors the primitive instincts of social Darwinism - “survival of the fittest”. It is a materially driven world where greed and excess are not only condoned, they are worshiped. On top of that we have a rigged financial system that takes advantage of ordinary people. To change this picture we need to imagine and implement an economy based on higher values. Our goal would be a world where greed would give way to generosity and competition would morph into cooperation.

The human race has come a long way from our primeval beginnings, and now it is time for us to take the next step in our evolution. Throughout history our greatest progress has come when enough people had the foresight to realize that a change of direction was necessary. It is our imagination that will take us beyond the limits of our current reality, and allow us to envision the blueprint for a more beautiful world. Each person who opens their mind to this vision contributes to the evolution of humanity, and when a critical mass has awakened, the world will begin to transform.

~ Albert Einstein ~