From a young age our society promotes independence. Learning to ‘stand on your own two feet’ and ‘going it alone’ are measures of success. Yet inevitably at some point it is not enough to be standing on one’s own. We are naturally dependent.
I was moved to hear Dean Parkin talk about his experience in helping shape the Uluru Statement of the Heart in 2017 (see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB-31jD4XcA ). He began his TED talk with something like: you might see me standing here alone on the stage but I am not alone – standing behind me and with me are my elders and ancestors giving me strength to be able to be here. How good is that I though yet how different is our Euro-perspective?
A tall eucalypt can stand like a solitary figure. Yet what we don’t see are its roots exchanging nutrients and information with surrounding plants and not just with trees from the same species. This new way of seeing trees has been revelatory and we are still yet to learn so much about the interdependence of the natural world. My hope is that this scientific insight will permeate our education systems to alter our course of superiority and greed at the expense of the ecological framework we are embedded in. See this for some quick inspiration: https://www.ted.com/talks/camille_defrenne_and_suzanne_simard_the_secret_language_of_trees?language=en
While the above two paradigms may feel foreign to us, it resonates with my Christianity, the idea that we are deeply connected with the ‘spirits’ in whatever language you want to call it. The notion of prayer or meditation to be still and know that I am not alone is quite fundamental yet we westerners still are pushed in our own direction. Barbara Brown Taylor wrote on this 20 years ago: https://cac.org/an-infinite-web-2020-06-25/?utm_source=cm&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dm&utm_content=summary
So in Active Hope terms, I’m grateful for those who support me and stand with me, even those who have passed on whose spirit lives on guiding me even when I’m not aware of it. I’m grateful that the universe is willing me to succeed to be who I’m meant to be.
I honour the pain of those who don’t feel this support, who feel alienated, who struggle.
Our challenge is to open our awareness to this new way of seeing: to intrinsically know and feel we stand with and journey with the immensity of this great support network. This may be at the expense of my ego thinking I can do it all. It also challenges all the consumption decisions I make.
Going forth I want to be part of this great web to stand with and not against. To bring peace and solidarity. To connect with the ecology on a much deeper level.
Photos: standing with in different ways.
