We Are Everything: Building a Path to a Better Society
To chart a new course for society, we must first see beyond the separation that plagues our society and acknowledge the harm of our historic and current ways. As a privileged white male, I cannot speak for the lived experiences of many people. Rather in this article, I try to convey patterns that exist in our world and how despite such disparate lived experiences, we are all connected.
we are earth. each of us. we are one. it’s us day. — adrienne maree brown, Earth Day 2022
We are communities near and far subjected to pollution, degradation, and oppression. We live in redlined neighborhoods with freeways built through them. We are exposed to pollutants from nearby industrial facilities. We work and live in places where the harm to people and nature is all too clear yet invisible to much of consumer society.
We are the wealthy elite. We live in big homes, drive big cars, and live big lifestyles. We avoid public buses and encounters with people experiencing poverty or mental illness. We fear change to current systems. Yet, happiness and meaning can be elusive in our current lives.
We are the residents of towns abandoned by corporations and the global economy. We see the immense wealth of technology billionaires while we have little economic opportunity where we live. We renew…
