Imaginable

A dynamic, optimistic, science-driven work by a futurist and renowned gamer that trains us to see the future as a futurist does--and prepares us to thrive in that future when it arrives (sooner than we think), by the New York Times bestselling writer and designer of alternate reality games. After living through the massive global shock and trauma of Covid-19, one of the most disruptive events in human history, we need to find a way to face the future with optimism. But how can we plan for a better future when it feels impossible to predict what the world will be like next week, let alone next year or in the next decade? What we need are new tools to help us recover our confidence, creativity, and hope in the face of an uncertain future. In Imaginable, world-renowned future forecaster and game designer Jane McGonigal draws on the latest scientific research in psychology and neuroscience to show us how to train our brains to think the unthinkable and imagine the unimaginable. Using gaming strategies and fun, thought-provoking challenges that she designed specifically for this book, she helps us build our collective imagination to dive into the future before we live it and envision, in surprising detail, what our lives will look like ten years out. She is the perfect person to lead the way: In 2008 and 2010, with teams at the Institute for the Future and the World Bank, she designed two future simulations with nearly 30,000 participants that predicted a devastating respiratory pandemic in 2020 and the surprising human responses to it: · When social distancing would work and when it would fail · Where super-spreader events would most likely occur · The rise of pods and bubbles · The resistance to mask wearing · The outbreak of misinformation and conspiracy theories · And the complicating effects of climate-change weather events. Not only were these future forecasts shockingly accurate, those who took part in her exercises felt better prepared for Covid-19 when it did arrive. In Imaginable, McGonigal teaches us to identify the challenges that lie ahead in the next decade--big and small, personal and global; shape a better future that solves for those challenges; and access "urgent optimism," an unstoppable motivational force that inspires us to be fearless, resilient, and bold in realizing a world we can only imagine.

World-renowned future forecaster, game designer, and NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Jane McGonigal gives us the tools to imagine the future without fear. How can we be confident about making plans? How might we feel secure despite the future being unknown? How do we learn to feel at peace with the unexpected? Today it feels more challenging than ever to feel unafraid, hopeful, and equipped to face the future with optimism. How do we map out our lives when it seems impossible to predict what the world will be like next week, let alone next year or next decade? What we need now are strategies to help us recover our confidence and creativity in facing uncertain futures. By learning to think the unthinkable and imagine the unimaginable you can better plan for a future you'd like to see. And by seeing what's coming faster, you can adapt to new challenges, reduce anxiety, and build hope and resilience. 'An accessible, optimistic field guide to the future.'-San Francisco Chronicle 'Jane McGonigal is unusually adept at anticipating events that most of us can't even fathom. In this eye-opening, actionable book, she teaches you how to widen your peripheral vision, extend your imagination farther into the future, and conceive of the inconceivable.' Adam Grant, #1 Bestselling Author of Think Again __________ 'Top 10 innovators to watch' Business Week 10 most powerful women to watch' Forbes 'Top 100 creative people in business' Fast Company

How were religious minorities treated in colonial times? What role did Catholics play in framing the religious liberty clauses of the First Amendment? How does the Supreme Court apply the sometimes contradictory commands of the free exercise and nonestablishment clauses? All Imaginable Liberty answers these questions in its tracing of the development of religious liberty from colonial times to the present. Articles by historians, political scientists, and lawyers explore the evolution of religious freedom and examine the role of the Supreme Court in extending and defining religious freedom. Francis Graham Lee introduces each section, addressing each article's contribution to the understanding of religious liberty in the contemporary United States.

Buy now to get the main key ideas from Jane McGonigal's Imaginable Jane McGonigal, a game designer and researcher, runs simulations that help people imagine future situations. And they’re not just for games. In Imaginable (2022), Jane explains how future-forecasting can help us deal with potential threats, stretch our imaginations, and become more resilient and adaptable for when the “unthinkable” does happen. It is important to learn techniques that futurists use in order to train our brains to plan for the future. The same techniques will also help us heal from the pandemic-induced trauma we have all experienced. To help us learn, Jane takes us through exercises with multiple future scenarios.

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The future starts when you start thinking about it. It takes a long time for the full benefits of the future to kick in, but when they do, they can be extremely powerful. #2 The future starts when you feel ready for dramatic change. It is a completely subjective truth. The future starts whenever you feel ready for dramatic change: big change, scary change, prayed-for change, or even crazy change. #3 Ten years is a magic number when it comes to social change. Things that are small experiments today can become ubiquitous and world-changing in ten years. #4 When we think on a ten-year timeline, we become more optimistic and hopeful about what we can change through our own efforts. We feel time spaciousness, which makes us less risk-averse and more creative.

From the author of Mastering Civility, a thoroughly researched exploration of the impact and importance of building thriving communities, with actionable steps on how to create them in your work and broader life. In her powerful new book, Christine Porath explores how the rise of technology and modern workplace practices have fractured our communications yet left us always “on” digitally. Through now common practices like hot-desking and remote work (even without the added isolation of social distancing we experienced during the pandemic), our human interactions have decreased, and so too have our happiness levels. This lack of a “human factor” is sparking a crisis in mental health that will have repercussions for years to come, leaving people lonelier and making the bottom line suffer, too. What Christine has discovered in her research is that leaders, organizations, and managers of all stripes may recognize there is a cost, but have no idea as to implement the cure: Community. With her signature depth and grasp of research across myriad industries including business, healthcare, hospitality, and sports, Christine extrapolates from the statistics on the experiences of hundreds of thousands of people across six continents to show us the potential for change. Through sharing information about the community, empowering decision-making discretion and autonomy, creating a respectful environment, offering feedback, providing a sense of meaning, and boosting member well-being, anyone can help a community truly flourish. The applications are endless, the stories are positive and uplifting, and will inspire the reader to establish and grow their community—be it in the workplace or the PTA—and make it thrive.