The Futures We See
A Meditation by Rev. Cameron Trimble
“Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear?” — Mark 8:18
Bill McKibben recently published an article about the global shift to clean energy.1 I was oddly encouraged reading his account of how the current war with Iran is speeding up the rise of solar power and new battery technology. The conflict has disrupted oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow passage that carries about one-fifth of the world’s oil. Energy prices have jumped. Governments are rushing to respond. Markets are shifting. Once again, we’re reminded how much modern economies still rely on a few fragile fossil fuel routes.
McKibben says this crisis might actually speed up the move away from oil. Countries that rely on imported fossil fuels are seeing the risks firsthand. Now, renewable energy seems less like just an environmental effort and more like a national security plan.
We’re used to telling ourselves a certain story about the future: the climate is getting worse, democracies are weakening, wealth is piling up in fewer hands, and trust in institutions is fading. There’s a lot of truth in this story. But it’s not the whole truth.
While glaciers melt and forests burn, solar energy is now cheaper than fossil fuels in many places. Electric vehicles are spreading quickly across countries. Nations that once relied almost completely on imported oil are starting to picture a different future. The facts are changing faster than our story about them.
That thought made me think of the political philosopher Hannah Arendt. Arendt spent much of her life exploring how reality and the stories we tell are connected. She was concerned about what happens when people get stuck in stories that no longer fit the world. The real danger isn’t just propaganda. It’s losing the ability to see what’s really happening.
I wonder if this problem goes beyond politics. Many of us have gotten very good at spotting decline. We know how to identify corruption. We know how to notice cruelty. We know how to see when institutions fail. These are important skills. But wisdom requires something more. Wisdom means being able to notice what’s starting to grow or change.
Jesus talked about seeds growing in fields, yeast working through dough, and treasure hidden in plain sight. The message wasn’t that God would show up someday, but that God was already at work in ways most people didn’t notice.
The Buddhist tradition teaches us to see things as they are, not as we want them to be.
The Desert Fathers warned that being too sure can blind us to reality.
Again and again, spiritual life asks us to let go of our stories for a moment so we can notice what’s really happening around us.
It’s true: some things are getting worse. It’s also true that some things are getting better. Some institutions are failing. Others are being created. Some systems are breaking down. Others are taking their place.
History has always held both realities at the same time. The challenge is learning to see both sides. As playwright William Gibson once said, “The future is already here. It’s just unevenly distributed.” The real question is whether we’re able to see it.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
What story about the future are you carrying right now? How does that story shape what you notice and what you overlook?
Where do you see signs of decline in the world? Where do you see signs of emergence?
What new possibility, movement, relationship, or idea might already be growing that you have not fully recognized?
A Prayer for the Day
A Prayer For Eyes To See
Loving Spirit, The world is changing. Some things are falling apart. Some things are coming to life. When fear narrows our vision, help us see more clearly. When old stories no longer fit, give us the courage to release them. Open our eyes to what is growing. Open our hearts to what is possible. Teach us to recognize your presence in the breaking and in the becoming. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Revising the Map
Take fifteen minutes today and make two lists. On the left side of a page, write: What is breaking? List everything that comes immediately to mind. Personal concerns. Social concerns. Political concerns. Environmental concerns. Be honest.
Then, on the right side of the page, write: What is emerging? This list may take longer. What new possibilities do you see? What technologies, movements, communities, relationships, ideas, or practices are growing? What gives evidence that people are still creating, healing, adapting, learning, and organizing?
When you finish, sit and look at both lists. Resist the temptation to erase either one.
The goal is not optimism. The goal is not despair. The goal is a fuller picture of reality. Wisdom begins when we can hold both lists at the same time.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
My team and I launched a new experiment we are calling “The Commons.” It’s an online space centered around communities of practice: groups of people who share a common concern, set of problems, or passion for a topic, and deepen their knowledge and expertise by interacting on an ongoing basis. Join the community here.
June 9, 2026, 12:30-1:30pmET - Book Club in The Commons - FREE - We are starting our next book, The Glorians by Terry Tempest Williams. We will meet each Tuesday for 6 weeks. It’s such great fun. I hope you will be a part. All are welcome! RSVP HERE.
June 11, 18, 24, 2026, 12:30pm ET - I will be joining Jackie Sussman on The Commons for a three-part series on practicing eidetics as a part of our “Reclaiming the Power of Imagination” series. Jackie, a psychotherapist, author, and leading expert in Eidetic Image Psychology, has spent over forty years helping leaders and individuals unlock creativity, uncover hidden strengths, and move through limiting patterns. During these sessions, she will lead a live Eidetic process shaped by mythic imagery, offering a direct experience of the work. REGISTER HERE.
September 8, 2026, 7-9pm ET, ONLINE EVENT - I’ll be hosting a powerful online gathering on The Black Madonna: Sacred Wisdom for a World in Crisis with Matthew Fox, Alessandra Belloni, and Christena Cleveland. We will explore the Black Madonna as a symbol of resilience, liberation, sacred feminine wisdom, and healing in a fractured world through conversation, story, music, and spiritual reflection. If you feel drawn toward a deeper encounter with the Divine Feminine and the ancient traditions that continue to nourish movements for justice and wholeness, I hope you’ll join us. Learn more and REGISTER HERE.
October 18-21, 2026 - PREACH! 2026 Conference- I’ll be co-hosting PREACH in Minneapolis with Church Anew, a new gathering for preachers, storytellers, worship leaders, and spiritual communicators navigating what it means to speak with clarity, compassion, and courage in a changing world. If you’ve sensed that the preaching moment has changed and are longing for thoughtful community and renewed imagination for this work, I hope you’ll join us.
I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.
Fun Things My Friends Are Up To…
I get to work with such amazing, creative people. This section is my way of celebrating them—no paid promotions, just joy in what they’re creating.
June 15, 2026, 12pm ET - ONLINE WRITING GROUP - My dear friend, Meryl Marshall-Daniels, is leading a writing group open to all. This is a simple and spacious writing circle for people who want time to listen inwardly and put words on the page without overthinking, performing, or polishing. Meryl offers a prompt designed to invite reflection, imagination, and attunement to what is already alive within you. The practice honors writing as a way of listening, of letting images, memories, questions, and insights surface in their own time. Learn more here.
June 16, 2026, 12pm ET - My friends at the Franciscan Federation are launching a new online community called “The Piazza.” This is a place for all Franciscan-hearted people to gather, connect with one another and build community together. They are launching the community on June 16. I hope you can be a part of their launch event. I will be there, for sure!
June 20, 2026 – ONLINE EVENT – Margaret Wheatley and Mary Daniels will lead a special three-hour online gathering titled Fierce Compassion: The Power of the Sacred Feminine. In a time marked by fragmentation, fear, and exhaustion, this program explores compassion not as passive kindness, but as a courageous force that protects life, tells the truth, and remains deeply rooted in love. Drawing from spiritual traditions, contemplative practice, and the imagery of fierce feminine wisdom figures such as Kali and Durga, they will reflect on what it means to stay human and spiritually grounded in difficult times. LEARN MORE + REGISTER.
JULY 12, 2026, 8AM–8PM ET in NYC - My friend Monika Son is helping lead a powerful Buddhist-led, interfaith pilgrimage across New York City titled “Day of Remembering Our Interdependence.” Inspired by the Buddhist monks’ 2,300-mile Walk for Peace and grounded in the wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh, participants will gather for walking meditation, prayer, chanting, ceremony, and collective reflection across all five boroughs, including stops at the African Burial Ground and the Metropolitan Detention Center where ICE detainees are being held. The day will culminate in a joyful community gathering in Queens with music, poetry, movement, and food. Participants are welcome to join for the full pilgrimage or any portion of the day. LEARN MORE HERE.
If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.
Emily Dickinson comes to mind:
“Tell all the truth but tell it slant —
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth's superb surprise
As Lightning to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind”
I call it squinting. Sometimes we have to squint to change our perspective. Wondrous what we can see when we allow ourselves to view from a different angle.
Thank you, Cameron, for pointing this out with the practice of a “T” diagram.
A fuller picture
shows signs of wide, wise good growth.
With/without U.S.