From Separation to Connection
Finding Hope for Society in Troubling Times
In some of our darkest days, hope and light will not be denied. Historic, though not perfect, climate change legislation is finally getting through Congress! Voters across partisan lines stood up for female reproductive rights in a state where this was not expected to happen.
The many leaders and activists applying political pressure and mobilizing others deserve credit and are giving us hope in the words of Rebecca Solnit: “Hope is not a lottery ticket you can sit on the sofa and clutch, feeling lucky. It is an axe you break down doors with in an emergency.“
To build on this momentum, delving deeper into what holds us back from social and environmental progress is critical. We must consider how growing separation, division, and otherness lie at the root of our crises.
Fear of others feeds the mass proliferation of guns. A lack of empathy and understanding fuels an erosion of reproductive rights. Media bubbles portray the ‘other side’ as something to hate and resist at all costs. Our alienation from nature has put us on the verge of climate catastrophe and biodiversity collapse, threatening our own existence.
When connection becomes central in our lives, change happens. Climate events where we live, from wildfires to…
