The Story Is the Cure

One of the most powerful things we can do right now is imagine forward. To dare dream. To tell stories not just of how things are going (spoiler alert, 💩), but of how they could be⚡✨.

When we write from the future, we cast hope. We remind ourselves (and each other) that the world’s predicament is not fixed. It is still being shaped, and we have a say in how it unfolds. The bonus? Stories release a neurochemical cocktail that makes us pay attention, care, and remember. They bind us together, shift what we believe is possible, and give us the inner chemistry of hope. Yum. We want some of that.

Here’s a great example this week from The Spinoff: The future we spoke into being: te reo Māori as Aotearoa’s first language. It’s written from a future perspective, looking back at how we got there. Reading it feels like stepping into tomorrow and realising we can walk there, if we choose.

This is the heart of the idea behind the Imaginarium Fellowship that I am busy developing for people like us. It is place where everyday people write stories from the future that show us the way forward. You don’t need to be a “writer.” You only need curiosity, imagination, and the willingness to start with a problem and dream your way toward possibility.

Here’s an invitation: have a crack at it.

Write a story from the future. Your future, our future, a future where something important has changed. It does not have to be long or perfect. Blend science fiction, fantasy, realism, cultural storytelling. Kids are writing and publishing their own hope-casts. If they can do it, surely we can.

If your hope is feeling under threat this week, trust me, this is what Dr Hope prescribes. This particular kind of storytelling sparks our can-do chemistry. It helps us see solutions and possibilities that feel out of reach when we are stuck in the present.

Storytelling links ideas, creates momentum, and builds connection. It might feel fluffy and inconsequential, but stories of change are a human superpower. Storytelling is our oldest social technology. As a muscle and a social skill, it has atrophied. We rebuild it by writing and in the process give ourselves the inner chemistry of hope, we seek.

So pick up a pen or open a note. Ponder a problem and see where you get to. Share your hope-cast with me and I will reply back and share one of mine. Fair deal?

xx Megan (aka Dr Hope. Self-conferred, school of life styles.)

P.S If you’re ready to take it further, come join in the Imaginarium Fellowship. Together, we can dare dream the world forward. I am still working out all the finer details, but I am seeking a core crew of Hope-holders to come on the adventure with me. That could be you!