My Dream for the World in 2050

Reflecting on the World I Want for My Grandchildren

As we close out one of the toughest years that any of us can remember, I want to share with you my dream for the world as I hope it will be in 30 years. My two wonderful grandchildren are just entering their teens. They are bright, thoughtful, kind and more wise than I was at their age. I am counting on them and their generation to transcend the divisions we are currently living with and make the world a better place. While we are waiting for them to grow into their power, it is up to us “grown-ups” to have the courage to dream big and act to begin making those dreams reality. Hence, the inspiration for this article.

With that thought in mind, I want to share what I would want the future to look like when my grandchildren have children of their own at the mid-point of the 21st. century.

I an organizational change consultant and I think in terms of theories and models. As one well known leader has said recently, “It’s what I do.” To create a preferred future, I ask my clients to imagine they are actually in the future and to describe what they see. I have framed my dream based on the principles of Spiral Dynamics, a model that describes individuals and societies as they evolve. Viewed through that lens, human psychology can be seen has having eight levels, each of which is built on the one that comes before. Each level is assigned a color that provides a shorthand for referring to what is most important at each level.

Without going into the theory too deeply, the levels describe the dominant mindset or values that characterizes what is most important at each level. Two other things you need to know.

First, there are healthy and unhealthy manifestations of each level. Purple for instance, can create strong families or ethnic division. Red can create heroes or dictators. Green can manifest as care for others or a stifling conformity.

The second thing you need to know is that for each level to thrive, it depends on the strength of the levels below. If you really want to go deeper, check out the book Spiral Dynamics by Don Beck and Christ Cowan.

For our purposes, though, it is enough to know that the levels exist and I have a preferred future for each of them.

My Dream for My Grandchildren’s World in 2050

For each level on the Spiral, I have chosen three things that would make the world a better place. Each represents examples of living the values of that level.

My beige dream is a time when:

• People no longer fear for their personal safety. There is no terrorism, no school shootings, no gun violence, no lynchings, no hate crimes
• People’s basic needs are met so that no one is hungry or homeless or without healthcare
• People instinctively feel deeply connected to nature and the environment

My purple dream is a time when:

• People have strong emotional bonds with the people around them. Loneliness and isolation are gone.
• There is respect for elders and ancestors. People see themselves as part of a long timeline of human history.
• Family is a concept not necessarily of blood but of lasting relationships.

My red dream is a time when:

• Everyone is able to find their own form of self-expression with a sense of fun and adventure.
• Creativity is prized and exploration is encouraged
• Everyone is able to feel powerful and courageous

My blue dream is a time when:

• The rule of law provides justice and fairness for everyone
• People are willing to sacrifice their own interests in service of the common good
• People practice honesty, charity, and care of others because they want to

My orange dream is a time when:

• Individuals strive to be the best they can be but play by the rules that ensure fairness.
• People feel empowered to innovate solutions and make progress based on pragmatic thinking.
• Unethical behavior and manipulation are out of bounds and unacceptable

My green dream is a time when:

• The two great sins of our society, slavery and our treatment of native peoples, are acknowledged and addressed
• There is a sense of unity of the whole society where we embrace of our diversity
• There is an egalitarian spirit that encourages making sure the society is inclusive and equal

My yellow dream is a time when:

• We see the world as a complex system where sustainability is the dominant value for the environment, the economy, and society
• We organize society so that individuals and systems can evolve sustainably in trust, authenticity, responsibility, and service
• We have found ways to have economic prosperity and still preserve the planet for future generations using complex, integrative problem solving

My turquoise dream is a time when:

• We recognize that, on earth, we are part of one interconnected ecosystem seeking to promote the health of all living systems
• We have respect, awe, reverence for the cosmic order of which we are a very small part
• Our social systems embrace the connectedness of all things

Photo by Colton Sturgeon on Unsplash

My dream is based on the most postive aspects of spiral dynamics. I choose to look ahead 30 years because it will take time for my dream to become reality. Even that may be unrealistic.

It is nearly 60 years since Dr. King gave his “I have a dream” speech. It is up to each generation to carry the torch and then pass it to the one that follows. And, there is not a moment to lose.