Occasional other treats, such as our interview with Tom Carnac, other videos and podcasts just for you, treats like our upcoming interview with Rutger Bregman and others, and the opportunity to ask the What If questions that shape the podcast. The founder of the international Transition Towns movement asks why true creative, positive thinking is in decline, asserts that it’s more important now than ever, and suggests ways our communities can revive and reclaim it.

From What Is to What If (Audiobook) - Chelsea Green Publishing From What Is to What If (Audiobook) - Chelsea Green Publishing

From What Is to What If is a call to action to reclaim and unleash our collective imagination, told through the stories of individuals and communities around the world who are doing it now, as we speak, and witnessing often rapid and dramatic change for the better. It gave me clarity on my own sense of optimism and resilience against being despondent … and a sense of what I’m empowered to change and therefore, how to live life well and let go of any boom or bust notion of change making” Episode One: What if birdsong drowned out the traffic? Towns and cities have already begun transition. Together, mayors have chosen to press ahead toward a healthier and safer world. Whether in Paris or in Totnes, initiatives are being launched and are encouraging us to shift from ‘why not’ to ‘how’ and from ‘how ‘ to ‘when.’ The movement must gain momentum and expand.The flip side: This tells us that we can enhance our imagination if we manage to improve the functioning of the hippocampus. Some low-hanging fruits: Get enough sleep, get proper nutrition and enough exercise and make a serious effort to reduce stress. Reading this book is like listening to the voice of Rob Hopkins. A voice full of kindness, optimism, brightness, humor, and imagination. And that spirit is precisely what we need to build a better future and to reconnect with each other and the better part of ourselves. With this book, Rob poses a crucial question: How could we create another world, one in which human beings live in harmony with each other and with nature, if we are not able to imagine it first? We can’t—and that’s why this book is so necessary. This is just one of the many examples in this book where art plays a vital role in increasing imagination, helping people in many other ways in the process.

Transition: Bounce Forward - What If · What Next? Transition: Bounce Forward - What If · What Next?

This is a great book for what it is - an exhortation to visioning, or dreaming as others call it. I wish that the book had gone further, but there you are, you can't have everything that you want. There is obviously a distinct slant upon the object of the dreaming, but that doesn't invalidate the whole concept of imagining an alternative state of affairs. How can we become better at solving the problems and dealing with the challenges both in our own lives and in our societies? In ‘’From what is to what if’’, Rob Hopkins argues that imagination is crucial: To create the better future, you first have to imagine it. People like Rob Hopkins give us the courage to move forward. By setting an example, he shows us that we are right to place our hopes in a future in which men and women can act as stewards of their environment. The many stories in this book are evidence of the fact that for some people this future has already become a reality. -Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris What if we took play seriously? What if we considered imagination vital to our health? What if we followed nature's lead? What if school nurtured young imaginations? Day after day, week after week, the climate is changing and biodiversity is fading away. For a long time we tended to look the other way, but now, being on the edge of the cliff forces us to understand that we must act urgently. And because of this emergency it is our utmost duty to join forces. Not only among states, but among mayors, NGOs, associations, companies, and citizens. Among all those who are determined to act here and now.The founder of the international Transition Towns movement asks why true creative, positive thinking is in decline, asserts that it's more important now than ever, and suggests ways our communities can revive and reclaim it. Imagination is central to empathy, to creating better lives, to envisioning and then enacting a positive future. Yet imagination is also demonstrably in decline at precisely the moment when we need it most. In this passionate exploration, Hopkins asks why imagination is in decline, and what we must do to revive and reclaim it. Once we do, there is no end to what we might accomplish. We do have the capability to effect dramatic change, Hopkins argues, but we’re failing because we’ve largely allowed our most critical tool to languish: human imagination. As defined by social reformer John Dewey, imagination is the ability to look at things as if they could be otherwise. The ability, that is, to ask What if? And if there was ever a time when we needed that ability, it is now.