Bee in purple
What could be more encouraging than that?
Even years after reading Blessed Unrest, Paul Hawken's message, that millions of people all over the planet are working with a burning passion to correct injustice in the world, continues to inspire hope. His commencement address at the University of Portland acknowledges head-on that we have only a couple of decades to figure out how to dig out of the mess we have made of this planet.
Looked at in this way, the economic collapse that unfolds before our eyes couldn't't have come a moment too soon. You know the theory, one performs best under pressure? This is the test. Humans respond more readily to fight or flight threats than to theoretical threats. As the planet warms and economies collapse, theoretical has morphed into fight/flight. Hawken is inspired by the good works that he sees and so am I.
If you look at the science about what is happening on earth and aren’t pessimistic, you don’t understand data. But if you meet the people who are working to restore this earth and the lives of the poor, and you aren’t optimistic, you haven’t got a pulse.
Each community knows what it needs, so creating the solutions from the ground up is our best shot at saving ourselves. Our communities are calling each of us to show up as our brightest, most creative selves. Fortunately, there are lots of good ideas out there and millions of passionate people committed to being the change they want to see in the world.
V Fouche's bee in the purple flower perfectly illustrates Nature's synergy that is available to us. The bee and the flower are each doing their thing at no cost to each other, yet each enables the other to live more fully. When we extend ourselves to others, we are richer for it and so are they.
Comments