Meredith Hines - The Futures Interview - all that we are (fka the future is beautiful)

Meredith Hines

Meredith Hines MA is a Los Angeles based psychotherapist, yoga and meditation teacher, and work in progress. Meredith sees her life as working on both the micro and macro level to inspire collective change. On the micro level she works with individuals in private practice helping people heal past wounds, deepen awareness and compassion, and lead lives of creativity, authenticity, and meaning. On the macro level she engages as a human rights activist. She is an active sponsor of the international charity Women for Women international, and volunteers with The Program for Torture Victims, a non profit dedicated to assisting immigrant survivors of torture seeking asylum in the US. She is the proud mother of a 2 year old puppy named Delilah, who she considers among her greatest spiritual teachers.

?!X: What’s the Future You Choose?

MH:
More compassion, less fear.
More Imagination, less fundamentalism.
More art, less Botox.
More organic food, no famine.
More Reverence, less boredom
More service, less greed.
More trees, less cars.
More connection, less loneliness.
More poems, less reality television.
More hope, less cynicism.
More Love, less shame.
More Love, less fear.

?!X: What’s a ‘think’ to create this future?

MH: An image introduced to me by reading Joseph Campbell, taken from an Indian folklore, called the net of Indra. The net of Indra is “a net of gems, where at every crossing of one thread over another there is a gem reflecting all the other reflective gems. Everything arises in mutual relation to everything else.” (Joseph Campbell).

This image is a metaphor for the idea that as human beings, hard as we may try to delude ourselves, we are not, and never will be islands unto ourselves. We are fundamentally interconnected with one another and the planet itself. When I really consider this, then injustice anywhere in the world compromises my own freedom, my own peace. An illusion of separateness is what leads to loneliness and apathy. A sense of being apart of a greater eco system liberates us from the cage our egos and empowers us with responsibility.

?!X: What’s an ‘act’ to create the future you choose?

MH: I believe we change the world by changing ourselves. We need to get right with ourselves and heal. Whether its therapy, going into recovery, learning meditation, practicing yoga, or keeping a journal, cultivate a practice that draws you inward, keeps you honest, and brings you some clarity. When enough individuals transform their interior landscape from a war zone to a place of peace, the outside world will follow suit.

?!X: What’s a ‘vote’ to create the future you choose?

MH: Children are dying of starvation in the horn of Africa and the press is offering scarce coverage. International charities and aid are facing great challenges in raising funds. 10 $ feeds a child for 10 days. What possible better use of your money is there? (Unicef USA)

?!X: What’s your favourite song and why?

TNR: Well, I’m not sure you can have a soundtrack for the future without John Lennon’s Imagine. Also, Tracy Chapman “Change”