Dreaming Our Way to a Thriving World - Community Share

Community Creative Danae Edmonds shares their thoughts this Juneteenth on Dreaming Our Way to a Thriving World.

HAPPY JUNETEENTH!

I am starting a new series, Community Share, here on my Substack inviting those who wish to share their hearts and souls in relation to a specific topic. We are kicking off this series on Juneteenth with the first topic: Dreaming Our Way to a Thriving World.

Posts will consist of any creative medium (writing, drawing, painting, ceramics, video, song, podcast episode etc) of their choice to showcase creative dreams, hopes, goals around the topic. 

If you hear the call to participate, please reach out.

Without further ado…

Nyasha doesn't know this about me, but dreaming is kinda of my thing. As a Pisces (technically Pisces/ Aries cusp), dreaming has been my personality for the longest time. I spent 30 of my 32 years believing deeply that I was a Pisces. Not that zodiac signs are everything but if you live life thinking you are a creative, emotional dreamer, you become one. About 2 years ago, I redid my birth chart, which revealed that I am actually an Aries sun. Finally, I was able to receive the multitudes within me. (Libra moon and Taurus are rising if you want the details.) 

As I've gotten older, I have become more jaded, and while I still identify as a dreamer, taking time to dream is perceived as a frivolous activity. Especially given the state of the world for people who share in my non-white, non-male, non-straight, disabled identities. To me, a thriving world is a liberated world, not just for me but for everyone, collective liberation. It is important to me to lay this framework as we examine what could be, and I also want to name that I struggle with imagining this concept because it feels like every aspect of our world is so entangled with all these things that I think we have to abolish.  A world liberated from centering white supremacy culture, capitalism, and patriarchy are the systems in contrast with a thriving world for all. It is hard for me to even imagine because, honestly, it feels so different than the world we all operate in, and I feel so overwhelmed trying to dream of what the alternating would be and how hard it seems to get there from here. I think it's easy to let all things perceived as obstacles make us feel like dreaming is useless. Our 'obstacles' actually make us better dreamers. We envision a more just, inclusive world and ultimately more liberated when we all dare to dream resilient dreams. Resilient dreamers are necessary now more than ever. 

In full transparency, in November or so, I felt lost and ashamed of being a dreamer because how dare I imagine a future for myself while there is so much genocide, harm, and evil in the world. I contemplated throwing an earth is ghetto pity party and giving up on envisioning more because every effort/ dream felt futile. As I contemplated what even the point was, I went to Bisan's Instagram profile and saw the words dreamer in her bio. If this young Palestinian woman can find space to dream as her homeland is being bombed, what is stopping me from at least trying to envision a better future for us all. 

In an act of kismet, I dreamed of being able to afford to fly my dad to Denver for Father's Day, which was this past weekend. My dad and I went to lunch on Saturday and ended up having a lovely conversation with our hostess, and they shared my overwhelming feelings about how to drive change toward our shared dream of a thriving world. They couldn't remember the source but essentially shared that if we all do what little good we can, it is better than nothing. So, while I don't have all the answers, I can commit to being a resilient dreamer and doing my part to create the thriving world I want to see and that we deserve.

Dad at lunch

Dad and I