Anila Babla - The Futures Interview - all that we are (fka the future is beautiful)

Anila Babla

Anila Babla is the Digital Marketing Manager for Loco2 and loves all things sustainable travel related. It was only when she was older that she realised that not every kid had an “art cupboard” but it was already too late, she was bitten with the craft bug! She works on design projects in her spare time to keep sane, and make sure her artist’s eye/hand isn’t getting too rusty! Although her website is in its “rusty stages”, 2012 will be the year of website updating!

Anila provided a beautiful illustration for the ?!X Futures Project. Bringing to life Joy Green’s Future “one where the cities are full of birds, the oceans are full of fish and the wild areas are coming back. And we all know how to grow vegetables!”

?!X: What’s the Future You Choose?

AB: I would love to see a future of more sharing, less owning, more creating, less consuming, more understanding and less judging. Oh and more cake and more tea 🙂

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

AB: I love Miroslav Holub’s poem “The door” and the idea that change in self involves taking chances and the positive consequences of change. Holub expresses change as an individual’s commitment to embrace new opportunities presented to them, leading to a new perspective of life. The door, being the central metaphor of the poem, represents a barrier, which holds us back from instigating a change.

Go and open the door.
Perhaps outside
there’s a tree, or a wood,
or a garden
or a magic town.

Go and open the door,
Perhaps outside
there’s a dog rummaging
Maybe you’ll see a face
or an eye
or the picture
of a picture

Go and open the door
If there is a fog outside
It will go.

Go and open the door.
Even if there’s only
the darkness ticking
even if there’s only
the hollow wind
even if
nothing
is there
go and open the door.
At least
there’ll be
a draught

I also read quote recently that I liked: “A diamond is merely a lump of coal that did well under pressure”.

Illustration by Anila Babla

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

AB: I love Baroness Cox’ motto – “I cannot do everything, but I must not do nothing”. I like the idea of finding something you’re passionate about and just doing something.

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

AB: Maybe in time I’ll be world weary and cynical but for now I value the theological concepts of agape and shalom and have a lot of hope for the world and this generation! So that’s what I pledge allegiance too – the more the merrier!

?!X: Future Soundtrack – What song would you take with you into the future?

AB: Wow, no easy task. I think that it is a close call between R.E.M’s Nightswimming for autumn/winter