Thriving Together: Visioning A Sustainable, Purposeful Future Rooted In Ancestral Wisdom

"Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing."

Arundhati Roy

For generations, Indigenous cultures around the world have warned of a time when humanity would face a profound choice: a return to balance or a descent into destruction. The Hopi speak of the Two Path Prophecy—one road aligned with the Earth and Spirit, and another guided by greed, disconnection, and unchecked consumption.

Whether taken literally, metaphorically, or spiritually, this prophecy mirrors our modern crossroads:Will we choose extraction or regeneration? Isolation or community? Domination or collaboration?

As we stand on this threshold, we have the opportunity to envision a New Earth—a future where we reclaim our interdependence, dismantle harmful systems, and co-create societies rooted in care, creativity, and collective liberation.

Let us imagine and vision the next 20-30-50 years, as clearly as we can. But know that this isn’t just a vision for the future. This is our past. Come learn with us.

My definition of "success": everyone eating, everyone learning, everyone growing, everyone playing, everyone thriving. A world where no one is left behind is the kind of world worth fighting for.

If you have vision but not discipline, you can start but not finish. If you have discipline but no vision, you never fully launch.

Two Futures: A Choice We Must Make

2030 — The Nightmare

Underfunded transit. Wage stagnation. Dirty air. Corporate surveillance. AI manipulation. Private police. Environmental collapse. Disconnecting and Silencing intuition. No safety net or support systems.

This is not dystopian fiction. It is the predictable byproduct of extracting life for profit and productivity.

2030 — The New Earth Path

Solar cities. Abundant gardens.Public art. Accessible healthcare. Free education. Walkable streets. Shared resources. Honored elders. Protected lands. Joyful, connected communities.

The act of Visioning works as both a compass and a catalyst: clarifying what matters most while inspiring consistent, aligned action that turns intentions into reality. It helps us access creativity and possibility rather than operating from fear, urgency, or scarcity. When "my vision" becomes "our vision" we become powerful co-creators, that manifest meaningful, positive change.

Having a clear vision acts like a compass; it doesn’t just tell you which direction to go, it changes how you experience the journey itself.

The Value of Vision

Clarity is power, as they say.

Individual Visioning is valuable because it gives your energy, decisions, and actions a clear direction to move toward. When you intentionally imagine the future you want for yourself and your loved ones—how it feels, what it looks like, and who you become in the process—you activate motivation, align your choices, and filter out distractions that don’t support your path.

Collective visioning multiples this impact by bringing people together around a shared sense of purpose, direction, and possibility. When a group participates in imagining the future they want to create—whether it’s a community, organization, or movement—they build alignment, trust, and motivation. It transforms scattered individual efforts into coordinated momentum by giving everyone a common north star to work toward. Collective visioning also ensures that many voices, experiences, and perspectives shape the outcome, which leads to more equitable, resilient, and creative solutions.

"Focus instead on what you want to happen and how to make it happen, rather than on all the things that keep it from happening."

Daniel Quinn

The ultimate vision. The end goal to orient your whole life towards: a global network of locally-governed, skill-sharing, resource-sharing communties.

In order to collapse the old system and manifest the new one we need to hold a common vision of what we want, not what we don't want. Then we need to consistently see it, feel it, journal about it, talk about it, organize around it, and take aligned actions towards it.

A Future Vision

Imagine waking up in a world where the billionaire elite class no longer controls policy, resources, or the narratives of possibility. Where society functions for real working class families, women, and minotiries just as well as it does for the white male.

The first step is to reshape both the built environment and the social expectations around labor, making it easier for every person, regardless of gender, class, or ability, to both participate fully and equally in society, both in leisure and at work.

People-First (Not Profit-Driven) Homes, Workplaces & Communities

• Mixed-use, walkable neighborhoods: Homes, workplaces, childcare, healthcare, and community spaces close together reduce the burden of caregiving and domestic work.

• Universal, accessible childcare: On-site, subsidized, or community childcare hubs enable full workforce participation.

• Shared domestic infrastructure: Co-housing, communal kitchens, laundry, gardens, and rotating meal programs reduce unpaid labor.

• Flexible work models: Hybrid, remote, or distributed work options ease commuting pressures and give caregivers autonomy.

• Safe, accessible transportation: Well-lit streets, pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, and reliable public transit support mobility and independence.

• Affordable housing near jobs: Proximity to employment reduces commuting time and stabilizes employment for caregivers.

• Flexible zoning for work and entrepreneurship: Mixed-use areas allow small businesses, studios, clinics, and workshops within neighborhoods.

• Equitable domestic labor policies: Paid parental leave, mandatory paternity leave, and cultural encouragement for men to share caregiving responsibilities.

• Community support networks: Time banks, mutual-aid childcare swaps, and community kitchens lighten household labor.

• Universal design principles: Accessible buildings, streets, and public spaces accommodate strollers, mobility devices, and caregiving needs.

• Sustainable, resilient infrastructure: Solar panels powering community microgrids; greenways, pollinator corridors, and edible landscapes replacing concrete jungles.

• Thriving communal spaces: Community gardens, intergenerational living, and shared kitchens foster connection, learning, and food sovereignty.

• Cultural and ecological restoration: Rituals, ceremonies, and engagement with nature; clean rivers and flourishing wildlife.

• Local artisan relationships: Every household connected to herbalists, farmers, carpenters, seamstresses, and astrologers for community support and resilience.

• Participatory, transparent, local government: Matriarchal or collaborative councils replacing hierarchical power structures.

• Community care as the organizing principle: Universal healthcare, living wages, and accessible public goods are non-negotiable.

• Feminine approach to leadership: Power is shared (“power with”) rather than imposed (“power over”), emphasizing weaving, not ruling.

• Democratic economy: Society and economy run to meet collective human needs, not enrich a small elite.

A utopian future is possible when we stop designing society around extraction and start designing it around mutual aid, community, and the Earth’s regenerative rhythms.

Real matriarchy is not the inversion of patriarchy. It is rooted in relationship, reciprocity, intuition, and shared responsibility- not supremacy, hierarchy, domination, isolation, and scarcity. It is a circle - not a triangle, a web - not a tower.

Mutual Aid: The Cornerstone

Mutual aid is not a radical or even modern idea. It is actually the oldest survival strategy on Earth.

Forests share nutrients through mycorrhizal webs. Wolves raise pups collectively. Rivers feed wetlands that feed forests that feed us.

Nothing in nature thrives alone. Human beings are no exception.

Mutual aid is in our past, and it also waiting in the future. This is because of universal truths:

• Survival is a collective act.

• Abundance grows when it is shared.

• Ecosystems thrive through cooperation, not competition.

The New Earth embraces indigenous wisdom, but first requires inner revolution. Before we burn the ladders outside us,we must dismantle the ones inside us.

We must collectively think and feel and imagine peace and harmony and everyone being healthy, happy, and thriving. This will help shift the energy away from fear and worry, and bring support and safety to people everywhere. Hold your light. Hold your love. Hold your truth and beam it all out to ripple across the world.

The Decolonization Process

Before we heal the world, we must heal the "Internal Empire" within ourselves. This shift doesn’t just build new systems—it creates new building blocks, new people.

Decolonization is about rebuilding from the ground up—not through conquest and control, but through collaboration. It's about going back to the old ways, an ancient remembering

The wisdom we need to survive the next century is not new—it is ancient. Indigenous peoples have always understood:

• the land as kin

• healing through nature and community

• leadership as service

• wealth as shared wellbeing

• time as cyclical

• stewardship as sacred duty

Decolonization is about

• Naming the land you’re on

• Protecting sacred ecosystems

• Funding tribal healing centers

• Honoring knowledge keepers

• Practicing from your own lineage

• Returning resources stolen from Indigenous communities

"Give people what they need: food, medicine, clean air, pure water, trees and grass, pleasant homes to live in, some hours of work, more hours of leisure. Don't ask who deserves it. Every human being deserves it.”

Howard Zinn

Our imagination is the most potent, precious, and powerful force for creation.

The Courage to Demand Change

If we are actually going to "Make America Great Again" and achieve a thriving world, we need structural reforms grounded in egalitarianism, empathy and equity. We also need to enact policies that protect us from those who misuse and abuse their privilege.

These proposals collectively seek to reduce corruption, rebalance power, modernize democracy, and realign government with the lived realities and needs of the people, emphasizing transparency, fairness, and service over personal or corporate gain. They also seek to prioritize children, education, and future generations so that the population can sustain health and happiness.

Here's a look at "Project 2028" if those of us with consciousness were leading:

Accountability & Ethics for Public Office

• Mandatory cognitive, psychological, physical, and drug testing for all elected officials and Senior Government Employees (SGEs), with results released as public record

• Comprehensive background checks prior to holding public office

• Mandatory U.S. civics and citizenship exams equivalent to naturalization standards

• No individual with a felony conviction may hold the office of President

• Term limits and mandatory retirement ages for all branches of government, including Supreme Court Justices

• Fixed terms for Supreme Court Justices, with options for expanded, rotating, or district-based appointments

• Officials under oath at all times when influencing the public

• No immunity for any public office

• Appellate judges lose pensions and licensure if consistently overturned

• Executive orders expire at the end of a presidency

• Presidential pardons subject to independent review boards

• Single-issue bill requirement to prevent hidden amendments and pork-barrel legislation

• Cap Congressional salaries to reduce self-interest

Uncomfortable truth: The economy as we know it is not actually ours. It is the patriarchal capitalist system that a select few people built to maintain their own power and control using other poeple's labor. The new earth that awaits is its own economy based on mutal aid, community care and other matriarchal principles.

Election Reform, Voting Integrity & Anti-Corruption

• Abolish the Electoral College; adopt national popular vote or proportional representation

• Ranked-choice voting for primaries and federal elections

• Mandatory voting with a national voting holiday and multi-day voting window

• Independent, nonpartisan redistricting to eliminate gerrymandering

• Ban corporate political lobbying and dark money in elections

• Publicly funded elections only; ban self-financed campaigns

• Overturn Citizens United and Buckley v. Valeo

• Ban insider trading for elected officials

• No outside income while in office; mandatory divestment and blind trusts

• Strong, enforceable conflict-of-interest laws at all levels of government

• Reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine

Economic & Labor Policies

• Equitable taxation for billionaires, corporations, and religious megachurches; close loopholes and enforce minimum effective tax rates

• Remove the cap on Social Security contributions

• Balanced federal budget requirement

• Living wage guarantees, including a raised federal minimum wage

• Universal basic labor standards, including a 32-hour workweek without loss of pay

• Strengthen union rights and collective bargaining protections

• Maximum wage or proportional pay-ratio laws to curb extreme income inequality

"Somewhere, over the rainbow, there’s a world where birds sing into every night, flowers bloom across every land, each problem has 10,000 solutions, and people live lives only to love and be loved… "

Mike Dooley

Social Safety Net & Public Health

• Universal healthcare and universal basic income

• Universal pre-K and prioritization of children and education

• National housing-first plan to end homelessness

• Legalize and decriminalize cannabis nationwide; expunge past convictions

• Use cannabis tax revenue for public health, education, and equity programs

• Public investment in rest, wellness, exercise, nutrition, and community health programs

Environmental & Infrastructure Policy

• Green New Deal–aligned climate legislation

• Walkable city initiatives and pedestrian-first safety standards

• Expansion of public transportation access to jobs, food, healthcare, and green spaces

• Urban planning laws supporting mixed-use, low-car-dependency communities

Public Safety & Justice Reform

• Common-sense gun reform, including universal background checks and safe storage

• Trauma-informed, constitutional-law–focused police training

• Mandatory psychological screening for law enforcement

• Ban private prisons

• No immunity for law enforcement or public officials

Food, Product & Environmental Health Protections

• Ban harmful additives, dyes, preservatives, PFAS, BPA, phthalates, and endocrine disruptors

• Mandatory full ingredient transparency (no “natural flavors” loopholes or QR-only disclosures)

• Front-of-package labeling for sugar, ultra-processed ingredients, and allergens

• Mandatory GMO labeling

• Strict pesticide regulation and phase-outs for chemicals harmful to humans or pollinators

• Regulation of microplastics in food, packaging, and water

• National cleanup of contaminated soil and water

Food System Equity & Access

• Subsidies for organic and regenerative farming

• Urban agriculture laws supporting community gardens and micro-farms

• Funding for local food hubs and farmers markets

• SNAP expansion for fresh and organic foods

• Phase-out of routine antibiotic use in livestock

• Strong regulation of factory farm pollution

I don’t always ask ChatGPT questions but when I do it it’s… “How can we evolve into a moneyless society where everyone’s basic needs are met so we spend our time exploring, learning, loving, creating and simply existing together with no end-goal except for pure joy, pleasure and peace?” 

Corporate Accountability & Oversight

• Stronger FDA and USDA enforcement with annual audits and surprise inspections

• Heavy penalties for mislabeling, contamination, or safety violations

• Mandatory public disclosure of lab tests for pesticides, heavy metals, and contaminants

• Ban corporate lobbying in food, agriculture, and public health sectors

• National standards for farmworker safety and fair wages

• Transparency in global supply chains to prevent child labor and exploitation

Public Health Education & Prevention

• National nutrition education programs free from industry influence

• Public campaigns reducing ultra-processed food consumption

• Funding for community kitchens, food literacy, and nutrition education in schools

Immigration, Reparations & Land Stewardship

• Citizenship reform and legalization pathways

• Return ancestral lands to Indigenous tribes for stewardship and cultural preservation

• Legal recognition of tribal sovereignty and self-determination

• Reparations for communities harmed by slavery, segregation, redlining, and systemic discrimination

• Funding for BIPOC-led programs in housing, education, healthcare, and economic development

• Protection of sacred sites and cultural heritage

Real change starts at home first, and in the voting booth second.

Role play your future self, and all of the values of the world you want. Become the match for the same magnetic energy you want to call in.

Accepting It All

“May all beings be free from danger, disease, hate, and may they meet no obstacles in their daily lives.”

This prayer is not a wish for life to become magically easy and free from suffering. That is not nature's way. Life will inevitably bring loss, heartbreak and change unexpectedly.

What we’re praying for is something far more profound: May we all see clearly that the real obstacle is how our minds meet every situation in life. When our minds are tangled and clouded with stress, fear or anger, every challenge and difficulty feels overwhelming and insurmountable.

But when our minds rest in perpetual calm, peace and hope, something beautiful unfolds. We stop seeing obstacles as enemies blocking our way and begin to simply see them as conditions along the path we’re walking. This is true freedom.

When rain falls, cold bites, miles stretch long, and uncertainty lingers— keep walking, steady and calm, present with what is.

Embrace the 'degrowth' , decolonization model by acquiring skills AI can never replace. Interrupt and derail technofascism and relentlessly insist on a different vision.

The New Earth Is Already Emerging

The New Earth is not something we vote for once every four years. It is something we practice, every day, in every interaction, every relationship, every choice.

The future isn’t top-down. It is built in circles with hearts aligned. The Earth beneath us, and ancestors behind us, we are supported.

The New Earth is possible and we will build it together, one day, one year, and one generation at a time.

In reality the real American dream should be building a society whre nobody starves or goes homeless, and everyone is treated equally, has health insurance and is paid a living wage.

"A few days ago I asked: What would you do if all your basic needs were met?

I shared it because it feels like so many of us, myself included, are so focused on survival that we forget why we want to survive at all.

Yesterday the universe nudged me to sit with my own whys. And my whats. And the deeper desires underneath them.

For me, the moments I feel most alive are never the ones spent chasing carrots, keeping up with the Jone's, paying light bills, or worrying about mortgages.

What I would love is to spend my days going on adventures with friends. Exploring the world together.

I would love to spend my days helping to build, sustain, and belong to a real community.

The kind where everyone belongs.

The kind that supports everyone’s needs.

The kind that lets people live their best lives.

A community rooted in love.

Sometimes I think about the friend groups on shows like Friends or The Big Bang Theory and long for that kind of pack. And then I remember how deeply I value solitude. So there would need to be a balance. Togetherness and quiet. Connection and space.

I would love to spend my days making art. Not to sell it. Just for art’s sake.

Creating it. Consuming it.

Dances. Concerts. Theater.

Making art. Being art. (And remember food is art as well)

I would love to end my days gathered with friends and family around a long table. Food. Laughter. Love. Camaraderie.

I would love to spend my days wildly in love. Finding time for love. Falling in love. Discovering romance in everyday moments.

And I would love to spend my days learning. New skills. New ideas. New ways of seeing.

Survival mode may keep us going. But these are the things that make life feel alive."

Mike Sitton

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Erin is a certified feng shui consultant, energy healer, wellness coach and holistic growth strategist.

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