New Thinking for New Possibilities: An Interview With a Visionary

San Francisco futurist envisions a new "Great Dream" - a global version of what the founding fathers had in mind when they wrote the U.S. Declaration of Independence.

(PRWEB) May 4, 2004 --John Renesch is more than a mere visionary. Hes standing for a vision beyond a better mousetrap, a new idea for a new technological gadget, or a revolutionary design for a new skyscraper. Reneschs vision is for a better world and it includes everyone and leaves out no one. That is what is so powerful and compelling about this mans vision.

Some peoples visions are exciting for a relatively small group of people, perhaps an industry or a consumer group. Perhaps the vision will impact a nation or a race or a region of the world. There have been incredibly compelling visions against unwanted conditions, like ending hunger, the Cold War, racial discrimination, and gender bias. There have also been powerful visions for desired conditions, such as democracy, independence, freedom and equality. Reneschs vision is for everyone and includes all of this.

His vision evolved as a result of his transition from a small entrepreneur having started and managed a variety of enterprises to a concerned citizen who felt called to help make the world better. I asked him how this transition occurred and heres what he told me:

I was going along from deal to deal, following whatever piqued my interest and challenged my abilities when I simultaneously discovered the human potential movement. I began to see how small a game I was playing, focused entirely on egocentric motivations. The state of the world outside my narrow lens of focus has been outside my attention. Besides, I told myself, what could I do about it anyway?"

So, I asked, what did he do?

I cant really say I DID anything. It was more like something happened to me, not as dramatic as a voice from the heavens but certainly a profound sense that my life was for something much bigger. I recall it now and it was quite frightening, but it was absolutely clear that something was in store for me that would be very different -- VERY DIFFERENT!"

How did that unfold?" I asked.

Well, there was an ineffable moment back when I was flying high in the real estate investment business in the early 1980s. I was left with a feeling that there was something waiting for me in the future. I was hesitant to call it destiny" because that seemed somewhat pompous but, in hindsight, I think that was it. The experience left me with a feeling that there was something much bigger in my future, something that was frankly very scary because it had such a global feel to it."

I asked him what he did after that experience. I went back to 'business as usual but I could not forget what happened. It was always back there in my consciousness and, looking back, I can see that I began growing into that calling, very gradually over say twenty years. Now I feel Im close to fitting into that destiny and Im thankful that Im finally doing it while I still have some time to achieve something. Id hate to think about finally stepping into my calling and then having my life be over."

I asked him if he could describe what he calls the Great Dream."

Im still drafting the complete vision but, in brief, it is a world in which every one has their basic needs taken care of, and people really get that we are all connected and reliant on one another. This is not a pipedream. This is entirely possible and there neednt be any big financial expense. All it will take is attitude change, on a global scale. It doesnt cost anything to change our thinking and, if we do, well see that we have everything we need to assure everyone that their survival is handled and they do not need to fear others, or fight each other. The Great Dream is quite similar to what the founders of the United States had in mind back in 1776, applied to the entire world not just one country. To be more succinct, we all live together and it works for everyone."

That seems quite simple. Is it?" I asked.

Yes, it is. The vision involves two things: living and doing it together. So there are two key questions: Can we all be truly alive and live life fully? And, can we do this together, including everyone? As I see it, all it will take is the collective courage to stand for this outcome."

This Renescharian" thinking is not utopian, he claims. And his background as a businessman would suggest that hes disinclined to fantasies or delusion. Renesch is very grounded having run numerous enterprises during his thirty plus year career as a businessman. While he has not become widely acclaimed or famous, Renesch is known to many people within the transformationalist business community. The Futurist magazine called him a business visionary" and international leadership guru and USC Distinguished Professor Warren Bennis says, "John Renesch is a wise elder who shines with wisdom." Stanford Business School Professor Emeritus Dr. Michael Ray says, "John Renesch is a beacon lighting the path of the new paradigm in business."

Former Industry Week Editor-at-Large Tom Brown writes, Renesch talks about leadership that is plainly not in evidence in most companies today...W. Edwards Deming was no instant hero...Peter Drucker has confessed that not all of his clients...welcomed his counsel. Is John Renesch in that league? Read his writings yourself, then decide."

Renesch has been writing and speaking about what hes been calling new possibilities" for many years in his keynote talks and his books but this is the first Ive heard about his Great Dream vision. He told me, We know that most people have much more potential than they use in their lives. People like Anthony Robbins make fortunes teaching people how to excel and maximize their effectiveness. I think we have a long way to go as a whole species. Were just beginning to learn our capacities as thinkers, innovators and creators of communities. After all," says the businessman-turned-futurist, we can hardly expect that the way we are acting in the world is fulfilling our destiny as human beings. We are hardly fully-evolved and mature at this point in our history. We have a long way to go and the Great Dream offers something to aim for."

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The author: Molly Stone is a Northern California freelance writer. She can be contacted at MollyS@PRWeb.com.