Imagining Futures of Freedom and Joy

Written by Kaja Brown in response to the ‘Imagining Futures of Freedom and Joy’ Shelby x Studios prompt.

In the future I imagine a world where we are kinder to each other.

Where the meat industry does not exist. Fox hunting does not exist.

Where animals are respected and cared for and allowed to live happily.

Where we are no longer exploiting any creatures for the sake of capitalism.

Where we are no longer blaming those who are barely scraping by for problems caused by the ones hoarding wealth.

Where no one seeks power to control people. Billionaires are not allowed. We have care systems in place to support each other and we raise children with love, knowledge and respect. We respect everyone, including mother earth. We live alongside nature, remembering that we are a part of it, and rediscover its medicine and magic.

Mental health is treated seriously, and we are given more freedom to be ourselves. Our society is more accessible. We prioritise rest.

Healthcare is free. We treat cruelty with kindness. When someone commits a crime, we look to the root of the problem. We give them security, therapy. We talk. We rehabilitate. We prevent. We embrace.

We break the chain of intergenerational trauma. We champion equality and support one another. We learn from indigenous cultures. We amplify voices that have been suppressed, and we listen. We learn. We love. We heal.

There is no housing crisis. Resources are shared equally, like they are meant to be.

I can afford to live in a house I love out in the countryside. Solar panels on the roof, rescue animals in the garden, a space where I can think and feel and write and live.

My generation’s dream, a reality.

We build up hope and wear it with pride. We realise that we are the many, we have a voice, we can make change, no matter what they want us to believe. We keep trying, we keep going, we keep growing, we build a better world for everyone.

That is what I want from the future.

That’s what we need to build now.