From What Is to What If
Unleashing the Power of Imagination to Create the Future We Want
“Get real. Never gonna happen. That’s pie-in-the-sky bullshit. It’s too late to make a difference.” Yes, that’s the language of the cynic—always quick to shoot down the ideas of optimists and visionaries. Even in this age of distraction and despair over climate change, inequality, corruption, and poverty, we give enormous power to skeptics, though every one of us should remain hopeful about a positive future for the world.
What if we built car-free cities? What if we closed all of the prisons? What if we spent more money on education than weaponry? What if ____ (go ahead, it’s your turn)?
In From What Is to What If, Rob Hopkins spotlights dozens of individuals and organizations around the world who are actually, defiantly doing work to make the world a friendlier, happier, more imaginative, playful, and sustainable place.
Named one of Britain’s 50 New Radicals by The Observer, Hopkins believes that real change happens through imagination and visualization at the community level. But imagination must be nurtured, and attention-sapping technology, lack of play, not spending time in nature, and other factors have stymied our imaginative juices. An inspirational manifesto, From What Is to What If offers a template for creating dramatic, positive change.
Reviewed by
Matt Sutherland
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
