A look into the 2017 crystal ball
The future of American politics feels completely uncertain to us. For some, though, that isn’t the case. It’s their job—their ability—to cast projections on the future that oftentimes come true. So, we had a thought. What if we asked three extraordinary people what they think 2017 would look like in Trump’s America? Of course, the answers varied, but they were all insightful, coming from a unique perspective within the Venn diagram of each’s expertise.
Trump has been stressing a lot of us out. His antics, his temper, and his Cabinet picks all seem like direct digs at the foundations of our liberal democracy. This angst has no doubt spilled into other corners of the human world. It’s this intersection we’re trying to plumb.
Here’s what three people from completely different points of view have to say about the coming year of a whole new world.
James Hughes, IEET
Up first, James Hughes, executive director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies.
“The election of Donald Trump represents a growing crisis in capitalist democracy, which has failed to ensure economic security for middle classes squeezed by technological change and growing inequality.
“The social democratic left has failed at developing a post-union-plus-party political model and at communicating an inspiring vision of an egalitarian, high-tech future. That failure has ceded ground to the growing global fascist movement, from Putin, Trump, and Le Pen to Erdogan, ISIS, and Duterte.”
“Progressives need to find their own models of grassroots politics—appropriate for the 21st century—and build transnational solidarity for transnational solutions to collective security, sustainable development, and ecological sanity. We need to anticipate the radical impacts of technology, from the erosion of work to healthier, longer lives, and mobilize around a program of a forward-looking political program. The alternative is a return to feudalism.”
The House of Intuition, Echo Park
Next is Marlene Vargas, who co-founded the House of Intuition in Los Angeles along with Alex Naranjo.
“Just from a spiritual standpoint, right now everybody is ending (2015) not only on the note that their idols have passed over, but what has happened to the United States in general. It really ended on a fear-based note. So, when you end that way, that’s when you start to focus on everything that was bad instead of on everything that was good throughout the year. And, if we can just remove the fear base of what we think will happen and just live every moment, I think we will be better off. Everything always starts with what we think is tragedy or bad, but they always turn out to be a better situation. I think 2017 is going to make us unite as humanity. All we have is each other. We can look at the government and be like, that’s you, but for us, we have to be kinder to each other. There’s going to be more hugs, more kisses. Like, we can do this! At least I hope so.”
“It’s a shift that needs to happen. We don’t act until there’s a tragedy happening. Unless we’re forced through some other force to be able to shift us into a direction that we are supposed to be in. We humans just don’t shift that way on our own. We don’t wake up one day and think, ‘You know what, let’s be kinder to each other.’ We’re selfish beings that have both the light and the darkness in us, so we need some outside force to shift us spiritually in the direction we need to go. We don’t have a choice. We don’t have a choice but to eat better because our bodies are getting ill. We have to. We have to shift into a higher frequency of being because of what’s going on right now.”
Bosco, recording artist Fools Gold Records
Finally, from an artistic point of view, Bosco, an artist from Atlanta, Georgia, signed to Fools Gold Records, tells us what’s important for her this upcoming year.
“I'm not governed by man, I'm governed by the law of the universe and good karma,” says Bosco. Trump may have an impact on her life and he may not. Either way, she’s going to do things her way.
“I’m really looking forward to 2017 because I have some projects coming out in addition to the launch of my creative agency, Slug. More than ever, I’m inspired by my experiences while traveling and touring in 2016. I got a chance to collaborate with Speakerfoxxx on a mixtape “Girls in the Yard,” which brought about a new success for both of us. On this new EP, I’m looking forward to connecting with my fans in a more genuine way where they fully connect and resonate with the music and visuals from my personal experiences. So much good music was released last year, and I can’t wait to contribute to that and experiment with new sounds and genres.”
So, whatever happens, know that forces can shape your world only in the way that you allow.
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