There is Power in Pretending

Pretending is very pedestrian activity that everyone engages in. Many of us pretend we are something we aspire to in a kind of "fake it 'til you make it" posture. Many of us, while driving or walking around as literal pedestrians, pretend that we are engaged in a conversation with someone we know, and in most cases intend to speak with at some point. It's a kind of rehearsal we do in preparation for  the future.

When we think about pretending, most of us will immediately think about children, playing house, pretending to be cowboys, or astronauts, or other such aspirational roles. The pretending that children do is an important developmental practice that facilitates an active experimentation with the social and emotional roles of life. Just like when we rehearse a conversation we pre-tend to the future reality.

We pre-tend to the things that we intend to do in the future. This is an important concept for those of us dreaming of a better more well built city and world. We rehearse the realities that we long for hear and not. We pre-tend to the gardens of our future.

I hope this helps free up your imagination to actively tend toward your future rather than dismissing an pretending as a childish behavior. It is how we will build a better future. We have to pretend and rehearse the realities now if we are ever to see them come. As Gandhi said, you must "be the change you want to see in the world."

Until next time, be pedestrian.