To me, your question about what we can do connects to your previous post about "when" of collapse. If my goal was to "stop" the collapse, or even slow it down, I would feel completely powerless. In the short term, educating students won't impact the inevitable trajectory we've chosen. The urgency of the situation paralyses me.
I find peace and agency in thinking in the long term; only when I accept that I'm not "solving" the problems, but only doing my part in giving birth to a new system, do I feel empowered. And it makes every small step meaningful, even when constrained by all the external factors we're caught up in.
It's a really great disposition to have. And yes, I share your sense of paralysis. It's so huge. And yet, we are so small in the grand scheme of things.
Curious as to what you sense is being birthed right now. Especially here in the US, it just feels like everything is breaking. (I wonder, in fact, if in some weird way it might be a good thing that he's speeding up collapse...ugh.) I struggle to sense what is emerging from this wreckage right now.
What's being birthed... I don't know! Probably many things, and probably things we can't yet conceive of. But isn't it what the workshop is about? ;) Just the fact that we are connecting is evidence that something is happening. And it makes me happy!
Love this and I cherish the question it raises: how do we find our way back to connection - with each other, with all life? I fully agree that all our efforts should be aimed at living the answer to that question, so I fully resonate with your initiatives. Privilege can, and must, be leveraged to grow stronger communities and help each other reconnect. We might find that nature is already there to welcome us...
That is the work. As well as making sure we recognize our entanglement. I've been pointing out in other conversations that as long as we refer to "nature" as something other, we make this harder I think. We are nature. In you context Jan, are we there to welcome ourselves? I'm not sure what the phrase or word is that I want to use. "All living things" captures it but isn't as elegant. Open to ideas and thoughts!
Fair point - can we feel ourselves to be included when use the word Nature? That is part of the inner work, I reckon. We would be welcoming ourselves, and each other, home. This is fairly accurate, to me.
As to a good term to describe All Life, I love 'our relatives', be they furred, feathered, scaled, leafed, needles or otherwise.
Ok-you got me....I will pull myself out of my angry, frustrated state.
Giving up or giving in is not an option.
There's work to do and like you, I have resources, agency and a responsibility.
LFG!
To me, your question about what we can do connects to your previous post about "when" of collapse. If my goal was to "stop" the collapse, or even slow it down, I would feel completely powerless. In the short term, educating students won't impact the inevitable trajectory we've chosen. The urgency of the situation paralyses me.
I find peace and agency in thinking in the long term; only when I accept that I'm not "solving" the problems, but only doing my part in giving birth to a new system, do I feel empowered. And it makes every small step meaningful, even when constrained by all the external factors we're caught up in.
It's a really great disposition to have. And yes, I share your sense of paralysis. It's so huge. And yet, we are so small in the grand scheme of things.
Curious as to what you sense is being birthed right now. Especially here in the US, it just feels like everything is breaking. (I wonder, in fact, if in some weird way it might be a good thing that he's speeding up collapse...ugh.) I struggle to sense what is emerging from this wreckage right now.
What's being birthed... I don't know! Probably many things, and probably things we can't yet conceive of. But isn't it what the workshop is about? ;) Just the fact that we are connecting is evidence that something is happening. And it makes me happy!
Yeah...I'm psyched as well!
Love this and I cherish the question it raises: how do we find our way back to connection - with each other, with all life? I fully agree that all our efforts should be aimed at living the answer to that question, so I fully resonate with your initiatives. Privilege can, and must, be leveraged to grow stronger communities and help each other reconnect. We might find that nature is already there to welcome us...
That is the work. As well as making sure we recognize our entanglement. I've been pointing out in other conversations that as long as we refer to "nature" as something other, we make this harder I think. We are nature. In you context Jan, are we there to welcome ourselves? I'm not sure what the phrase or word is that I want to use. "All living things" captures it but isn't as elegant. Open to ideas and thoughts!
Fair point - can we feel ourselves to be included when use the word Nature? That is part of the inner work, I reckon. We would be welcoming ourselves, and each other, home. This is fairly accurate, to me.
As to a good term to describe All Life, I love 'our relatives', be they furred, feathered, scaled, leafed, needles or otherwise.
Yep. "Kin" is another one.