Imagine the future...Better!
At the launch of the Rainbow Warrior III at West India Dock, within Canary Wharf waterways, quietly taking a stand against big business interests, Greenpeace showed off their latest masterpiece. The ship is absolutely beautiful, designed to maximise wind power, kitted out with hydro electric engine and a back up 'old money' diesel engine they hope not to have to use. Hundreds of people queued to see this new boat launched, having come straight from the shipyard in Germany, via registration in Amsterdam. It will do a tour of European ports before heading to South America to raise awareness about Climate Change. The exhibition mounted quayside recalled the history of Greenpeace since 1971, when a group of visionaries started campaigning for a greener and more peaceful world. This has grown into a multi-national movement although with so many polluters and ongoing environmental destruction the Greenpeace focus is inevitably focused on stopping the destruction and raising awareness of specific issues, whether that be the methods used by Princes to catch Tuna or the deforestation caused by Mattel in making packaging for Barbie. The campaigns and commitment of Greenpeace are utterly inspiring. Yet the necessary emphasis on stopping the culprits means the original mission and vision of the future is not clear. This is what we all need now. What would a greener and more peaceful world look like?
Next stop, Occupy London at St Pauls, where impressive numbers showed solidarity with the campers, who for the past month have been protesting peaceably about greed and malpractice in the city of London. Today saw the Lord Mayors procession and fireworks display, a grand procession costing eleven million pounds celebrating the corporation of London. David Harvey from City University in New York spoke eloquently about the Occupy movement, springing up all over the world and the fact that so many people are saying 'no' to the status quo, standing up against the 1% of people accumulating untold wealth and plundering world resources without regard for the 99% of people, many of whom live in poverty. A young woman stood up filled with hope, 'we might just win' she said, 'change could happen'.
These campaigns are heartening and important. And while people are fighting for their rights we must focus on what this new world order might look like. The 20th Century saw Marxism played out through various unsuccessful socialist and communist governments, where people fought against royal dynasties in places like China and Russia to overturn feudal systems, only to be oppressed by new regimes who have since been seduced by global markets. On paper, Marx's analysis still paints an accurate picture of power and oppression. What, in practice, could a different future look like?
BiDiNG TiME seeks to make connection between the role of women, the natural environment and social change. It takes us on a journey from now to ask questions about change. During the development of the project a burning question has risen up and sits smoking in the background. What could the future look like? I am curious. I don't know. I believe we have imagination to dream up a better, brighter future and that this must be part of what we practice now. Imagine better, without fear of what might be taken away. Imagine greener, more peaceful, more balanced, working together and managing greed so that more people thrive.
The transition town movement are imagining a world without peak oil http://www.transitionnetwork.org.
