On my substack feed the other day, I wrote that imagination is a form of perception.

What I meant is that the human imagination properly understood and harnessed can help us discern the future.

As a way to make my point, I showed the two photos below and asked the question in whose imagination would you prefer to live: The imaginations of the people living in Italy in the 15th century or the imaginations of those who have created today’s strip malls?

Another example can be found in these two photos:

Would you rather live in Elon Musk’s imagination or the imagination of the designers of the 1957 Corvette?

The future is–and will be–a battle of imaginations.

And you can play a big role but, to do so, you must first ask yourself in whose imagination do you want to live?

For example, do you want to live in the imagination of Jeff Bezos where the future of humanity resides primarily in outer space or do you prefer E.O. Wilson’s imagination where we create a planet where half the Earth is safeguarded for the protection of all the other living creatures on the globe?

Do you want to live in a future where billions of dollars are invested in helping us live to an average of 150 or would you prefer that society focus more money and resources on children ages zero to 5?

Do you want to live in a future of driverless cars or do you prefer a future where most of our cities are walkable?

Do you want to live in the imagination of corporations who place short term profits over long-term sustainability, or do you prefer the imaginations of indigenous cultures who prefer to make decisions based on how they will affect peoples seven generations into the future?

Do you prefer to live in a world where the dings on your smart phones and computers constantly pull you into the toxic world of politics and/or the shallow existence of consumerism, or can you reimagine a world where gentle church bells softly call us into the present moment and remind of the more important things in life?

Of course, the future is not an “either/or” situation. We do not necessarily have to choose one path at the exclusion of another. Still, it is vital that we remember we are not passive actors. We can create our preferred future, but this preferred future first begins in our imaginations.

If, however, you abdicate on this responsibility I can guarantee you one thing: You will end up living in the imaginations of other people.