Stories from the Future

Like many of us earning our way in the "brave new economy," I often struggle to answer the age-old question, "So, what do you do?" in any conventional way.

I can't just be a writer. The interconnected world is far more complex than that. Many of us struggle to find a way for all the moving pieces to fit together. It's a constantly evolving target.

Content Creator. Author. Podcaster. Online Platform Professional ~ OPP? No, not really. Besides, wasn’t that a pop song in the 90s?

Social Change Agent? Influencer? Thought Leader? No; those are just labels. Let’s be honest: our world, and the economy, is changing rapidly, almost faster than any of us can keep up with.

So let’s go all out: Idealist.

I can imagine how that conversation might go if I attended a professional networking event at my local Chamber of Commerce.

"So, what line of work are you in?"

"I am a Professional Idealist," I proclaim.

The woman with a nametag, bordered by a red square resembling a "For Sale" sign, walks away with a harrumph. I know what she's thinking, or at least I can take an educated guess.

"Professional Idealist? Might as well say you're a professional hippy! I'm a Real Estate Agent. I work in the real world."

I hold back my urge to make a comeback. "That's not fair. I'd never call you a Used House Salesman." I've learned the hard way that being confrontational isn't the way to convince anyone that lasting change is a life-and-death proposition in the 21st century. There's such a thing as being too honest. Truth, tempered with compassion, is a motto I have come to live by.

I am a Professional Idealist, I reassure myself, a wave of self-confidence washing over me. I take three long strides across the carpeted hotel conference room, careful to keep my plate of perfectly scrambled eggs and ideally al dente bacon from spilling over. I catch up with the Real Estate Agent just before she slips into her next conversation with an insurance broker. I may not have anything to sell her, but I'm confident I have something to offer.

"Hear me out," I say. "I have an elevator speech. Can I at least tell you that much?"

She nods, somewhat reluctantly. "Sure."

"I host a bi-weekly podcast called "Stories from the Future." Every episode, we read a different story our listeners have submitted. The only criterion is for the stories to be about a positive future, a future we love, not one we fear. It's a genre called Solarpunk, or Positive Futurism, and it's a response to the trend of dystopianism in fiction today. I also lead groups called Authentic Communication, role modeling kindness and values for younger adults, because if we are going to create a finer future, it starts with changing our behaviors, priorities, ethics and values. And I'm a public speaker on reversing climate change."

Her skepticism has softened somewhat.

Then, right on cue, the emcee of the Chamber of Commerce breakfast announces that we all should take our seats. Phew! Saved by the bell. That was really challenging for me. I'm more an android than a social butterfly. I'm mystified by social cues and facial expressions, and I loathe giving elevator speeches. I can fake it on good days, but it's draining. I'll be tired for a week after this Chamber event, but it'll be worth it. I was selected as the Keynote speaker today.

Like many public speakers in what I call The Global Change Movement, I usually don't charge a fee ~ the work is that important. As crucial as the work of global change is, many of my colleagues and I have no ready-made solutions for monetizing our work. I've spoken to church groups, forums, professional groups, and during the pandemic, organized groups outdoors in a city park.

In the end, I announce myself as a "Storyteller" this morning, and I begin my presentation with a true story.

"I'll be immensely honest with you, was the first review the Stories from the Future podcast received, it was refreshing to know that someone actually took the time to read my story and took the time to provide a serious reply. Without any doubt, you inspired me to continue writing.

"That's the kind of impact I love having on young adults. Positive Futurism is my passion," I say. "A finer future is something we have a hard time believing in ~ a world whose cornerstones are social justice, economic equality, and renewable energy? It's like asking people to ignore what they see with their own eyes."

But I'm still just reading from my notes. I fidget behind the podium in front of the roughly fifty members sitting around large, circular tables draped in white linen tablecloths. Doilies rest under éclairs, saucers under coffee cups ~ looking as formal as my speech sounds.

The next part of my talk plods on pedantically about how I'm not a motivational speaker, or advocating a Hail Mary prayer of hope, and I definitely don't eat green eggs and ham ... but the bacon this morning was delicious.

I imagine, somewhat optimistically, that gets a laugh. But self-doubt gives me a wedgy and I decide to skip over all that. I need to say what's really on my mind.

"The world I want to live in is one where passion and purpose are highly valued. The fact is, in the 21st century, we've lost touch with what's important. In Solarpunk: A Manifesto, Adam Flynn writes, 'The great solutions of the 20th century began as fictional proposals, from the moon landing to Social Security. It's time we returned to higher ambitions for what we can do as a society.' I believe that with all my heart.

"Three years ago I had a serious concussion. Here's what I found the only path to recovery was: caring about something bigger than myself. I had the luxury of time to consider what was really important. Time for reflection shouldn't be a luxury, but between our jobs, mortgages, and fast-paced lives, it is. By necessity, I learned to slow down.

"Similar to a serious accident, the 21st century is looking more and more like a near-death experience if we're not careful. We need to slow down, buy less, do less, be present with our loves ones. One of my favorite authors, Charles Eisenstein, has called the 21st century a "Rite of Passage". This is a chance for us to realize that a new way of doing things is absolutely necessary. So, I want to ask you: If you had to lay it on the line, what really matters? If we figured that out, could we change? Would we? I don't want you to think I'm talking out of my hat, or that this is mere philosophy. The first year of my recovery after my concussion was hell. Mirroring my recovery, Positive Futurism recognizes that serious challenges lie ahead if Earth is going to recover from the age of fossil fuels, and if society is to finally rise above social injustice and economic inequality. But I see a bright future at the end of the tunnel.

"The most vivid memory I have from when I was recovering is when I saw myself hovering over my body, twice. Both times, the phone rang. It was the same friend calling me to ask how I was doing. The voice on the line was like an umbilical cord bringing me back. The years since my recovery have been some of the most productive of my life. I've written and self-published two novels, Long Way from Home and The Eden Syndrome. I even wrote a TED talk about how we create a better future."

"But believe me, I know how all of this talk about a positive future must sound, especially now, to professionals struggling to make ends meet, sitting three to a table because we're still social distancing. I know this speech isn't going to convince you, but I do think I'm here for a reason."

"So give us some solutions," someone from the audience says.

"Ok," I say, but bashful to talk about my own lofty ideals than about my own life. I step off the raised speaker's platform and begin walking, slowly, between the tables, finally leaving my notes behind.

"I think we need to shed the toxic masculine behaviors that have been holding us hostage for thousands of years. We need more men's work to teach healthy masculinity, respect for the feminine and respect for Mother Earth. Maybe it's respect that we need more than anything. We need a collective mindset shift so we start behaving differently. Individuals need to rise above the labels society would have us wear and be honest with ourselves. Consumerism and materialism are addictions, and we need a twelve-step program for that, to help us slow down. Summer camps for adults where we focus on healthy relationship skills are something I hope to organize in the future."

Now I'm getting into it! When I'm connecting with an audience, I'm more passionate than I've ever seen myself. It's as if I'm stepping outside of myself. It's like I'm a Walt Disney marionette up here on stage ~ I'm animated! I even know what to do with my hands. They're gesturing, not just hanging like stiff bamboo poles at my side. So often, I'm dissociated from the world around me, but when I'm speaking about things that matter ~ not just to me, but things that are important to the Big Picture, then, like my hero Captain Jean Luc Picard, I'm engaged.

"And then there's the crucial need for social justice. Compassion and secular ethics is how the Dalia Lama phrases that. So many of the other global changes ~ like becoming a carbon-neutral planet and environmental restoration ~ can only take root once we adopt a far more inclusive worldview with less exploitation of people and nature. We need to realize we're all in this together. On a practical level, I think English could use a whole new set of pronouns, which could help us change the way we see the world and each other. How about ki and kin, a proposal from Robin Wall Kimmerer from her native Anashinabee language. Ki and kin are gender-neutral, singular and plural, and simply mean: not separate from other. Thinking less in terms of self-first and more in terms our relationship within our communities would be a big step. We're hyper-individualistic. Did you know English is one of the only languages to capitalize the pronoun "I"? Famous linguist Otto Jespersen first researched that in the 19th century. It's the only personal pronoun we capitalize other than the masculine pronoun for God. So, if we're equating "I" with "He," and excluding the feminine from God, is it any wonder there's so much toxic ego in the modern world, especially in America?

"Do you know why I love telling Stories from the Future?" I ask. "Because nothing happens without us first getting inspired to take action. What future do we want? The one we fear, or one we want to look forward to? Because the future is the very definition of a self-fulfilling prophecy."

Now, in my mind's eye, the scene shifts. I'm no longer in a beige hotel conference room but standing on a black-and-red stage. The audience is lost behind the glare of the spotlight, but it's a crowd of hundreds. This is the TED talk I've imagined giving. The floodlights are bright, uncomfortable, but I'm so passionate about Positive Futurism that I can hyper-focus, tune out all the distractions. I've imagined this from my future: I'm no longer podcasting out of my home like I do today with my little Zoom microphone. I have a studio in an office complex with a view overlooking Kansas City where I live. I also imagine that I have monetized the podcast by now, through the support of a Patreon community and on-air promotions once it's reached a wider audience.

"The Stories from the Future podcast inspires listeners by giving them ~ giving you ~ a voice and an audience to share your stories about the future. We published our first episode on Earth Day, 2021. Our hope is to inspire people to think differently, especially the next generation."

My tone takes on a candor of calm confidence as I walk stage left, across the circular red carpet, the hallmark of a TED stage. My next words come slowly as I clearly enunciate every syllable.

Stories from the Future are rooted in a recognition that communities come together like never before during a crisis. Stories from the Future tells hopeful, inspiring and uplifting tales, giving us characters who rise to the occasion and offer hope for the future that we can overcome any disaster, even climate change.

"One of my greatest influences is teenage activist Greta Thunberg, for telling it like it is to the United Nations. I also admire the podcast LeVar Burton Reads and all the visionaries of a positive future, like the creator of Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry, and the pioneers of optimistic speculative fiction, going back to Jules Verne.

"As I was researching this TED talk, I found an article in The New Yorker titled, "The Golden age of Dystopian Fiction: What to make of our new literature of radical pessimism." Since 9/11, a metric published by Goodreads says, dystopian futurism has been on the rise. And especially now, since 2020. There's even a new film now streaming about "Covid 2023," and that's just inappropriate merde, pardon my français.

"Dystopianism can be a catharsis for our collective fear, but it's also catapulting us towards a future we don't want. Solarpunk and Positive Futurism have a growing appeal. They represent speculative fiction that revolts against that despair.

"It's my job ~ my profession ~ to curate and collect stories about a positive future ~ a future we can fall in love with, not one we fear. It hasn't been an easy thing to monetize. I'm used to being told I'm naive, especially before I found the practical application of my ideas: the podcast, encouraging our listeners to submit their own stories, and writing my own novels.

"Paraphrasing what Greta Thunberg told our world leaders at the United Nations: we need to grow up. Along those lines, Positive Futurism stories are Wake Up Stories instead of bedtime stories. To me, waking up means desiring a finer future for our children, and behaving accordingly. I had to go through a major concussion before I realized just how essential that is. I hope my work can contribute to a finer future. I don't know why else my spirit was called back into my body, twice, by my friend calling me."

The TED clock at the foot of the stage ticks away the final minutes, but there's still so much more I could say. I want to point out that environmental documentaries still devote 75% of their screen time to dire warnings and statistics and only the last 25% to solutions, and that we need to devote far more energy and time to the solutions. I want to tell them about Project Drawdown, which focuses on the positives of what's already being done and what can be done, instead of dwelling on dire warnings and statistics. Drawdown presents "100 solutions to reverse climate change."

How can I put all that succinctly?

"The tide is changing," I say. "Solution-oriented thinking is when we focus on the world the solutions bring about and which are already being implemented. We stop fixating on the problems and just fix them. We have to think ahead.

"I know this is a room of practical people. On a practical level, the audience for my work as a Storyteller is not only the growing Solarpunk community of science fiction fans, but all of us who have a vested interest in the future, specifically young adults. Pragmatically, that's all of us.

"It's not as far-fetched as you might think. Many technologies and practices that power a positive future already exist: from the Great Ocean Cleanup to mycelium that decomposes plastic. Mother Nature is trying to help.

"The Stories from the Future podcast is your engraved invitation to imagine and submit your own stories from the future to be read on air, published in anthologies, and affect the future. So, if you had to lay it all on the line, what visions of the future do you want to see come true?"

Just seconds left now on the clock, and I imagine watching the YouTube video of my TedTalk on a widescreen monitor. The iconic TED ripple is about to fill the screen, and the sound effect of a new idea dripping like water is about to rise over the sound of applause.

My website address fades in as I make my final overture.

"Everything I've shared with you about my personal journey is true. There was no need to embellish. Truth is stranger than fiction. On that note, I believe the future can be better than we imagine. The Global Change Movement has begun. Tag. We're It. Thank you."

Tom Tortorich

Positive Futurism

www.StoriesfromtheFuture.co