In the world I see

‘In the world I see – you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You’ll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You’ll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Tower. And when you look down, you’ll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying strips of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway.’  -Tyler Durden, Fight Club

This is possibly the most important line in the film Fight Club. Tyler Durden tells you his vision for the future. It’s the world he’s working towards.

When you read books or watch movies about the future, nine out of ten, and probably more, show you a world worse than our own. Visions of the future tend toward anarchy on one side and complete control by the state, or something similar, on the other. Or else they are just higher-tech versions of the present.

What seems to be almost impossible for writers and film-makers is to imagine a vision of the future that is much better than the present. Or maybe they just don’t think it will sell.

It’s interesting to think about what you want the world to look like. What is the vision of the future you are working to shape today?