Imagine A Better World “Imagining is Resistance”: Tareq Baconi with Naomi Klein

What Gaza is being used to test and why freeing Palestine is the unfinished business of the last century. NAOMI KLEIN OCT 29, 2026

"More than 900 of you joined me live this week for a conversation with Tareq Baconi, the Palestinian writer and scholar who leads Al-Shabaka: the Palestinian Policy Network. We talked about his breathtaking new book, What Now: On Palestine, Freedom and Our Global Future, coming out November 3rd. It was the first book I read after finishing End Times Fascism, and it changed me. Here’s what I wrote for the book’s jacket:If you feel like the powerful dont want to save the world they just want to have the last word you could be right. But what about you? Are you part of this planet with its long history of errors yet beautiful. You can imagine a time when there was no people, no animals or trees or even flies. You understand that all our trees, plants, families could die off and not be missed because humans would be gone too. This would mean no memory of life as it adorns our planet with diversity. So much we humans have become careless. If this planet dies we will not be here. So what? There will be no more laughter, no paintings, no music, no birds. I know there is this vanity in my heart as if life depends on humans. Depends on stories, songs, movies, love and children. And diamonds, cows and sheep? Do you wonder why a few humans spend their energy on getting rid of people, birds and bees? Why we keep wanting more of what is useful to us. We need trees, plants, flowers and a sky above. Naomi Klein and ...... have thought deeply about us. Breathers. More have laughed at our attachment to the idea of a future. The Israelites have been here the longest. Naomi wonders why we are careless in our greed for more. Are we greedy? Are we stupid not to see that our survival depends on taking care of this planet and its gifts. And that we cannot take it all for granted. But not everyone has the ability to see how much we depend on others. We are so anxious about the little world we have built around us. Callous self interest. We forget the teachings. Math, History, Writing, Reading. Our education was not presented as instruction to save ourselves our family. In fact we are so taken by winning. We invent a story about life that starts and ends with winning. Soccer, Wealth, Philosophy, History all for the sake of winning but few instructions on how to win. Our entertainment is who wins and who loses. In a shallow collection of stories on the subject as if it is a game. forever The people who have money, history, intelligence and concern. Also have a history and vanity. Those with power have the time to ponder

No matter what others choose

You have particular gifts. If no-one complements you it could mean your gifts are unique. They don't get noticed much, or are above the common language of those around you, or simply not on the radar of the common conveyors. It could mean you need to publish them. Or it coult mean your posts are not interesting. No stress, maybe even deep. Too deep. Whatever it is, ask your self, morning, noon and evening.

Dear Mr Morris

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I Want To Apologize

I doubt you will remember me. I remember the first time I shattered any hope of being popular when I started at Ruislip Manner School.

Yes this is my first endeavour to be popular. I had watched sitcoms on TV and the plot was routinely repeated. At school I thought I was nobody. There were friends who were kind but I came from a family where aunts kept telling me I would never amount to anything.

It was not their fault. They were recent immigrants from France after WWII. When they entered the church there were whisperings "here come the frogs".

They were a family of a father known as a winner in the yearly boat race on the Thames at Marlow. Four girls. 

My grandmother was a fighter. She did not let anyone get the better of her. Most Mother's had to be fighters to protect their family. My grandfather won the Regatta Races. That's all I know. He was well liked. But he didn't have a son. All his children were daughters so they had to get a man.

A woman, a girl had no power other than to win a husband. This meant you had to be pretty and you had to have that mysterious power of getting a man to fall in love with you.

My mother kept on top of the house. Morning to night. 

As I observed. Her clothes had to fit perfectly, her eyebrows plucked, her house spotless, her garden green. There was to be no thing out of place in her domain. 

I apologize to my family who have read this a hundred times.

The result by the time I met you as a boy in my class, was that I HAD to win. You were always kind to me but I had this one opportunity to elevate my status as a popular girl.

When we walked to the local playground during lunch you felt free to kiss me. Which was lovely - the first boy to like me.  Then SLAM! It occurred to be in the bliss was this was how a girl got pregnant. 

Suddenly I said STOP! GET OFF!

Then walked back to school. Asked my friend if I was right to break off with him. She said yes.

So I sent you a note to say I couldn't be your girlfriend. Put it in an envelope. Then asked her to give it to you.

By this time word got out to all those in my class.

After that no other boys would have anything to do with me. I was the fool, the villain, the danger and the tart.

No-one in that class would talk to me even when we moved to Canada. I said I would write and I did but there was never any mention of my letters from you. In fact no one talked to me. I didn't win. I lost. I felt foolish.

Later I saw an email that said you were a gynologist. Didn't think it would be received gladly if I wrote then, as you clearly had status and I didn't.

Also I see now how popularity is manufactured. Not real!

To those who did not become the popular girl, remember you have integrity, and even though integrity is rarely mentioned in our hurry to get degrees, homes, fashion and status, beware of the tricks every society used to get you to follow.

We Are In The Age of Showy Capitalism

Reading through some posts it looks like the purpose of buying gifts is to create jealousy in your friends and neighbours, not to send a gift to someone you love. According to AI. Saving money, sowing beautiful things, buying flashy diamonds, and all other shopping, is to create jealousy in your loved ones. No pleasure, no need, no beauty ... just to make someone else rage with anger, jealousy and disapointment. Buy a car that costs thousands, a dress that makes you look like a beauty queen, a house that is more like a castle than a comfy home. This is how we destroy the world with jealousy, hatred and poverty. But then what would anyone expect from AI, the internet and the corporate world?

Dear Tony ...Last night we celebrated your birthday

We went to the pub and ordered supper ... Karen, Simon, Lucas, Gabriel and myself it was a lovely evening although something was missing you of course even though we knew you couldn't make it we missed the jokes the knowledge you had and shared about food, soccer and love of course you knew how to bring warmth to every meal every gathering knew how to play soccer how to cook eat and drink for maximum pleasure we missed you still miss and love you

When We Don't Feel Powerful?

"Yeah, this has been going on for decades and probably his first victim was my dad. And unfortunately, as I’ve also written, a lot of people mistake his cruelty for strength. There’s something just so cool and macho about causing harm to people over whom you have power. And he also enjoys humiliating people, as did my grandfather, but we’ve seen it in the way he talks so dismissively about service members who’ve died in his illegal war of choice, and not just illegal war of choice, but deeply, deeply misguided and criminal, in my view. We see it in the way he dismisse" Mary L Trump It's only cool and macho if you have no conscience. Sometimes when you join a group or movement you are asked to do something or several things you hadn't considered. Such as how humans survived, how did women become "witches" and were burned when we become supportive to man? How is it so easy to become a threat to the sysem within patriarchal values? This probably took hundreds of years to develop and began with the supremacy of ownership (land, corporations, beauty, talent). None of these things dominate in the long run but while they are used by other owners, lies, imagnination and hopes become sparkling gems in the imagination. It is the work of orginary people who can imagine. Who care about others.

A Solution?

Yes there are many solutions but for this time in North America it looks like going to war, the nazi's, the demagogue, all out war with humans, and praise for mindless power. So we, humanity need you to cast your mind back to the caves. No it's not the fault of women who love men, women who love women or women who love life or even the voice of women. And it does not matter who is to blame. We must realize we had so much going for us now although the past was rough. Hitler, Stalin, or the Roman Empire. We are to blame. We being people with brains and training to survive. People who may be religious or non religious, capitalist or non-capitalist. There are no solutions. We just need to love each other, love life and nurture it with gentle guidance. The first thing we need to do is love each other, love life more than we love our tricks, our degrees, our wealth and our best suits. We must see that life is not about us. It is about letting live all who dont want to hurt the world. Loving trees, grass, flowers, clouds, sun and moon.