Rain Daisies (Ahza Rex, 2021) Rain Daisies fill me with hope. Like a promise held close of better days to come.
I’d like you to close your eyes and imagine a world. What world do you imagine? This world has flowers, buzzing bees, and butterflies every spring. This world has grassy fields to run around and do cartwheels through. There’s kids riding their bicycles and parents behind them making sure they don’t fall. This is a world where we know our neighbors. We bring over cookies as thanks and bowls of soup when others are sick. Imagine a world where you breathe in and stretch deeply every morning. You wake up with a smile on your face. This world isn’t easy but at the same time, it’s not battering you down either. There’s food on the table and maybe the neighborhoods even have a community garden with chickens.
In fact, in this world, it’s centered around one thing: community. In this world, there is no such thing as scarcity and hoarding doesn’t exist. It doesn’t mean people don’t argue over what to do with certain resources, but it means there’s such great love for the people in communities to never want to withhold significantly more than necessary. In this world, people understand that to someone else, their community is of equal value—a great love. With this understanding, the people in this world pause with compassion before judging or arguing. In this world, not just children, but adults are encouraged to play. They play sports and board games with each other. They sing together and play music and dance. They celebrate each others life events… and small ones, with great vigor. In this world, the communities teach their children that putting in work into the community, and into this world, helps everyone. There’s an understanding art brings forth great beauty and applied with mathematics and sciences, great works of architecture gleaming with telework and statues are a source of pride and accomplishments.
Imagine a city where nature, tech, and people are integrated. What does it look like? Maybe this world has streams and countrysides but it also has cities with vertical gardens. Solar panels on rooftops and over parking lots. Infrastructure with pipes to melt the roads on an icy cold day or to warm water as it goes to nearby homes.
Imagine a world where billions aren’t spent fighting wars. Where would that money go? Where would you like it to go? Maybe that money goes to scientific advancements? Maybe it goes towards repopulating forests? Maybe it goes towards education and making sure every mouth is fed. Because this is a world centered around community. Treating one another like neighbors and friends we just haven’t had the opportunity to meet yet.
Imagine a world where when we have dinner together, no one’s nose is in a phone because to be present with one another was the most important thing to them. To show up, share, be seen, and know each other.
Enough people imagined a world where robots and magical talking glass devices could exist. What would happen if enough of us imagined… something else?