Now that we’re three months into this collective effort, I want to take a moment to step back and take stock. These posts have covered a lot and I appreciate everyone who has joined me on this adventure.
So far, we’ve discussed how current trends in our economy, environment, technology, government, and culture are all contributing to our current negative spiral, and how much is actually going right in the world that no one talks about. We looked at the role of philanthropy, both how it has stepped up to meet the moment and how a scarcity mentality is holding it back, and why philanthropic dollars are the best risk capital available. And I have alluded to the importance of storytelling and narratives to help us make sense of the world and create frameworks for moving forward toward the world we want.
This post is for those who maybe haven’t had the time to read each chapter as it came out. Or those who did and found it all a bit overwhelming. My hope is to simplify the content down to core takeaways before launching into the next section. I’ve also heard from many of you that it’s been tough to keep up with the pace of posts, so you’ll start seeing more space between chapters as I incorporate more insights and try to make the content more digestible. So here we go!
What we now know
There are five core domains of influence with mutually reinforcing dynamics that are driving the current dysfunction in our economic, political, and social lives, but it doesn’t have to be this way. At its core, the challenge we face is a belief that the invisible hand of capitalism, unfettered by regulation or constraints, can balance human and environmental needs—when all the evidence around us suggests otherwise.
Free markets spur innovation but government is a necessary check and balance, providing the infrastructure we need and the guardrails to protect against practices that are detrimental to human and planetary wellbeing. To paraphrase Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson in Abundance, we need smart regulation that protects what is important without hamstringing innovation and progress. This is not rocket science.
We have everything we need to make the transition to systems that are organized for the wellbeing of people and the planet. We have the knowledge, we have the resources, we have the organizational capability. We even have examples of countries and municipalities that are already putting pieces in place.
And if you can manage to ignore the current dysfunction in Washington, many aspects of the world are actually going in the right direction – the transition to a clean energy economy, tech-driven advances in medicine and science, generational wealth transfer into the hands of women, reductions in extreme poverty, and growing power and agency in the global south. We also know that there are myriad innovations, both proven (but not yet fully scaled) and new AI-driven possibilities, that can be turbocharged by a more conducive environment to help us navigate this transition and get safely to the other side.
So what’s holding us back?
The challenge is that we are surrounded by all the wrong narratives – narratives of diminishing resources and reduced opportunity that feed a scarcity mentality, fomenting fear, anxiety, and pessimism. All around us in journalism, entertainment, and culture are stories of what is broken, corrupt, and dysfunctional. Fantasy novels, games, and films are frequently set in dystopic futures where the fight for resources is a matter of survival. If you can’t imagine a better life, how can you possibly move toward it? If you believe the future is a zero-sum game – where every time your neighbor has an opportunity it means you’ve lost one – how can you possibly collaborate toward a common vision for success?
This is where we need the storytellers and the artists to step up. Artists are crucial for the future we want because they provide the moral imagination to shape society, challenge norms, and inspire creativity. They see around corners and help us envision possibilities we couldn’t fathom. We need to make vivid that a future of abundance is achievable. We need to move away from the politics of red and blue to focus on creating the future we all want, where we live on a stable planet and in a society where hard work and ingenuity can lead to a better life for you and your children. And we need philanthropy to recognize that perhaps its most important role is to ensure that these narratives of hope and possibilities reach the broadest possible audience.
This is no small feat in the current environment. We need to “flood the zone” with these stories. The age of thinking one film or article will move the needle is long gone. We need to see versions of this new world everywhere we turn. Our new heroes are the filmmakers and novelists and journalists and game developers whose reporting and world-building can bring to life a future we can all get behind. Enough with dystopia – we need a realistic, achievable, and desirable future we can all rally around.
What’s next
So, the next set of posts will go deeper into the role of storytelling and narrative shift, the state of the media ecosystem to support that effort, and how different forms of media and storytelling contribute to the reality we all experience.
Huge gratitude to the International Resource for Impact and Storytelling for sponsoring this portion of the conversation, which from my perspective is where the rubber hits the road.
I’ve spent much of my career thinking about the role of film and media in social change, but this work has brought home the distinct importance of storytelling and narrative shift work in this moment. No matter what difference you seek to create in the world, stories matter. Not just the stories that bring your issues to life, but the stories that make vivid a future where the change you want is possible. Stay tuned for more!