Your Imagination is Your Superpower
In a world that stifles our child-like imagination, protecting it at all costs is an act of resistance ꩜
In the midst of bleak political times, it’s crucial that we maintain our imaginations and our visions for a better future. Yes, the United States government is descending into fascism, complete science denial, extreme xenophobia, and a “Manifest Destiny” era again. And yes, the President has already signed a slew of executive orders that will further destabilize our planet and vulnerable communities. But if there’s anything I learned during Trump’s last term in office, it’s that we cannot let the daily dosage of chaos, fear, and inefficiency stunt our imaginations and our dreams of what society could look like if we were on a better path. Your imagination is your superpower; it’s an act of creative resistance that allows your consciousness to flow limitlessly, untethered by the restraints that have brought society to this broken point.
We are in a crisis of imagination– unchecked capitalism keeps us all in a state of survival, feeding into scarcity mindsets, believing that if we just work hard enough, we can “beat the system” and become wealthy one day too. This mindset has severely limited our imaginations. It’s hard for many of us to imagine a different way of life, but I’d like to remind you that the dominant system today was created out of thin air from the imaginations of a very small group of European men. It’s entirely possible to create a new reality, and while we can’t get rid of oppression today, our imaginations can keep our flame lit in the darkness while laying the building blocks of tomorrow. The US oligarchy can attempt to control women’s bodies, and they can try to pretend like LGBTQ+ people don’t exist. They can act like most of us aren’t immigrants, and they can keep lying to themselves by thinking we can exploit Mother Earth without feeling any repurcussions. But Mother Earth knows that way of life won’t last. Our spirits know so, too. The soil has outlived every empire, every power-hungry dictator, war, social conflict, and uprising in history. Mother Earth remembers. She has been a witness to it all. Yet she continues to show us that she is resilient beyond our wildest imaginations.
All of the flora and fauna on Earth (including you and I) are wired with DNA, an ancient form of molecular wisdom that evolved over millennia. Most of the plant species you see around us have been on Earth for hundreds of millions of years, living through multiple mass extinctions and apocalypses. Yet they’re still here, co-existing with us, nourishing our bodies, and keeping us alive through their ancient process of photosynthesis. Their wisdom is immense. It took millions of years of evolution, death, and rebirth for humans to arrive on this planet, and the chances of you even being born were close to zero. To be alive in this moment is a gift. Right now, we are witnessing the death of unsustainable systems and structures that don’t serve the whole; this is where our imaginations are needed. As this old, exploitative system decays, we must also begin to lay the foundation of a new system, one that will require an immense amount of creativity. As Ruha Benjamin once said, “remember to imagine and craft the worlds you cannot live without, just as you dismantle the ones you cannot live within”.
So, how do we do this? Through art, honing in on our unique skill sets, passions, and networks. Offering your spark to the world. Being vulnerable. Actively working to build resilient, tight knit communities. Building structures for communication outside the dominant media platforms. Supporting one another through small acts of love. Giving each other grace. Calming our nervous systems. Resting, refusing hustle culture, and moving slowly. In a world that stifles our child-like imagination, protecting it at all costs is an act of resistance.
As we move through these next four years and beyond, my goal as a science communicator is to tell more stories that help heal our relationship with Mother Earth. Stories of interconnection, reciprocity, and resilience. Stories that communicate Earth’s love, and rebuild our spiritual connection to each other and the planet. Thank you for being here, and if you’re reading this, I love you ♡
@J. Thomas Dunn #BelieveDifferent in other words and from a climate perspective xoxo
Yes, when times are tough we come together in stronger communities. We let go the quippling over differences and build on common ground. Compassion and mutual aid shines through. You are less alone, now. Hold tight.