One of the classes I took while working on my Masters in Public Administration was taught by a futurist by the name of Dr. Jim Dator. One of the tools he uses is called alternative futures.
While no one, including futurists, can predict the future, the process of creating and then temporarily "living" in alternative futures (plural) opens the mind to the possibilities available therein.
However, not all scenarios lead to what I would define as beneficial outcomes. In fact, some scenarios are down right frightening.
Such is the case with a dream (nightmare?) I had last night. I awoke at about 3:00 am with a vivid recollection of the dream. Usually, I have problems even remembering I dreamt at all much less remembering the subject of the dream but this one was so disturbing that I can remember the details even now.
In this future, the U.S. military has decided that they have had enough of a president who had misled the people. A president (and vice president) who had a hidden agenda. An agenda that led to the killing of thousands of military personnel in a war that was not justified. A war that was run from Washington that tied the hands of commanders even to the extent of telling them how many troops they would need.
In this future, the military decided that things had gone too far and so they (the military) took over the government and instituted martial law. Security, which had been high before under civilian control became a heavy blanket covering all aspects of American life. One could not travel freely without approval of the local military provost marshal. Citizens were subject to strip searches at the whim of roving bands of military personnel. And all elections were "postponed" until the threat from external forces were countered.
As I said, it was a bad dream...
Aloha!
