Women Visionaries Share Hope for the Future

Inspiration for Facing the Challenges Ahead

By William Murtha

One evening in April 1999, I was taking my usual evening bicycle ride along a sea wall on the coast of Devon, England, when a rogue wave swept me out to sea. Carried by the current farther and farther from shore, I thought I would die in the freezing sea. But then, amazingly, I was spotted by a stargazer who just happened to be looking in the right direction. I was in the water for almost an hour and a half before that stargazer, Nathan Swindlehurst, pulled me to safety. That near-death experience changed my life. I knew I had to create a new vision for my future. Inspired by what is possible when we envision our futures, I decided to ask 200 people I admire to share their visions in only 100 words each and gathered them in 100 Words: Two Hundred Visionaries Share Their Hope for the Future.

I share the inspiring visions for our future from twelve women visionaries, from Susan Jeffers to Alice Walker. Their notions about how to face a challenging future, and change it for the better, are nothing short of life-changing--and they can help you change your own life.

William Murtha is a writer, philanthropist, and global activist. He is the founder of The Global Visionaries and of The Imagination Project and author of 100 Words: Two Hundred Visionaries Share Their Hope for the Future (Conari Press).

Tell Me a Story

Stories build bridges; opinions build walls. When we know a person’s story, we can find a way to see ourselves in one another. In a world where opinions rule, all sorts of false divisions are devised to separate us from our essential love of the other. But every person has the power to tell stories that expose our essential connection under all apparent differences. Generals and politicians plan the wars and divide the world, but the people have to live the consequences. Stories told in person, in writing, or on the Internet, leap over these walls and extend the possibility that we may find the heart of commonality. What do you love most about the world? Let’s start there. Tell me that story.

—Christina Baldwin, writer and global teacher

Take Life into Your Own Hands

I’m convinced that everyone creates their own experiences through actions, speech, and thoughts. This view offers immense freedom—I’m responsible for my own life. I can take it into my own hands, use each moment for my own development. With this trust in one’s inherent qualities, life gets round, exciting, joyful. Consequently, it becomes natural to be interested in what is happening in the world, in the development and joy of others and our future, which we determine and form through our actions all the time. Thus we can act in a meaningful, foresightful way for the best in others.

—Miriam Feist, Buddhist practitioner and founder of 54Success and The Mind & Business Institute

Uncover Opportunities to Create Change

Our times call upon us to stand witness to hope. It is so easy to find causes for despair. And yet we will remain stuck, individually and socially, if we can’t find the inspiration to move toward a more sustainable vision for humanity. We are meaning-making creatures. Within our consciousness is the root cause of many of our problems—and their solutions. We can choose how we direct our awareness and how we respond to the world in which we live. Each of us carries within us opportunities to help craft new meaning systems for the twenty-first century that can nurture life in all its forms for generations to come. This is indeed hopeful.

—Marilyn Mandala Schlitz, Ph.D., clinical research scientist, medical anthropologist, and author

Have a Good Laugh Each Day

I absolutely insist on having at least one good laugh a day. The laugh must bubble up from my belly and be audible—primarily to myself. Laughing inwardly at the small things that most people may find commonplace makes me feel as if the universe and I are playing with each other and sharing secrets. Having the ability to laugh with myself keeps me light, authentic, and empathetic. It makes me feel that as long as the people around me and I have laughter, we have life. On a day when I deal with sadness or witness life’s cruelty, laughter keeps me going, laughter keeps me whole, laughter makes me feel that the world can one day heal itself.

—Beverly Schwartz, behavioral scientist and social marketing specialist