You’ve Called Me Out

You've called me out, Greta Thunberg. My son. All you young people gazing beyond my lifetime, declaring, "This is not acceptable." You are brave. You are determined. You have high expectations for humanity.

And you're right.

In the last 10 years, I lost hope that humanity would wake up before it was too late. I was an activist kid, teenager, and young adult. But at some point, I narrowed my focus to my family, my community, my homestead.

To cultivating resilience and adaptability where I could.

I found myself explaining the word "jaded" to my young son last week. As unbelievable as it would have been to my younger self, he'd heard me say: "I guess I'm jaded."

Even as I've cherished the recent years' swell in voices singing out about connection with the wilderness; a just, sustainable society; the soul- and Earth-sapping nature of consumerism -- simultaneously I've witnessed only increased extraction and pollution; activists killed for standing up to protect their water; relentless, calculated creation of "demand" for more stuff.

I seriously lowered my expectations. My hope migrated from "sustainable society" to "somebody surviving."

But you've called me out. I may not be a world leader, but I hear you. I recommit to act not only locally but globally, to call with you for yanking the emergency break on this fossil fuel death-mobile.

To act for the re-imagination of our story, so we don't get ourselves right back into a similar mess.

I've generally avoided saying anything "political" as a part of my "business." I feel topics that seem to set us at odds, in the absence of deep dialogue, get in the way of human connection, both in community and in my healing work.

But you know what? I can no longer view the ecological and climate crises as "political." I can no longer regard as anything but "human" our responsibility (and our blessing!) to treat our ecosystem with respect and reciprocity.

So. You will be hearing more from me about

• dreamwork for healing and insight on personal AND global levels
• holistic medicine with carbon footprint in mind
• and restoration for our own bodies and for our Earth.

Here's hoping. And yes, Greta: Here's acting.