No One Is Too Small
To Make
A Difference
-
Our House Is On Fire
‘What will you tell your children was the reason to fail and leave them facing a climate chaos that you knowingly brought upon them? That it seemed so bad for the economy that we decided to resign the idea of securing future living conditions without even trying? Our house is still on fire. Your inaction is fueling the flames by the hour. And we are telling you to act as if you loved your children above all else.’
- Greta Thunberg
2. Stop, Look, Listen
‘Today’s generation of outspoken young climate activists are stark truth-telling heralds and mirrors on our world. Their extraordinary impact shows that we don’t need an economics degree to speak the truth. The truth is there, right before our eyes, if only we allow ourselves to see it, hear it, and speak it.
‘So long as we continue to allow ourselves to be dragged along by the machinery of consumerism, it will be difficult to build our spiritual strength. This is why the point of departure for a new civilisation must be a determination to not be ‘colonised’ by material goods - to rebel against materialism in favour of our need to be a human being. Living more simply can give us tremendous courage to speak the truth. When we speak out, we do so out of love and compassion. You have the courage to speak out because you’re not afraid of losing anything. You are free. You know that understanding and love are the foundation of happiness, not material possessions, status, or position. But, if you’re afraid of losing these things, you won’t have the courage to speak out’.
- Thích Nhất Hạnh
3. Close Your Eyes and See
An essential condition to hear the call of the Earth and respond to her is silence. If you don’t have silence in yourself, you cannot hear her call: the call of life. Your heart is calling you, but you don’t hear. You don’t have time to listen to your heart.
It is only by having the courage to encounter our own suffering that we can generate the clarity and compassion we need to serve the world. Once we can transform the suffering in ourselves, we’ll be able to help transform the suffering in the world’
To wake up means to wake up to the suffering in the world. You wake up to the fact that the Earth is in danger and living species are in danger. You want to find ways to bring relief, healing and transformation. This requires a tremendous source of energy. If you have a strong desire in you, a mind of love, that is the kind of energy that will help you do these two things: wake up to the beauties of the planet to heal yourself and wake up to the suffering of the world and try to help. If you have that source of strength in you, if you have that mind of love, you are what can be called a buddha in action. If you see the suffering in the world but you haven’t changed your way of living yet, it means the awakening isn’t strong enough. You haven’t really woken up’
‘Collective awakening is made of individual awakening. You have to wake yourself up first, and then those around you have a chance. When we ourselves suffer less we can be more helpful and we can help others to change themselves too. Love, awakening and enlightenment always begin with you. You are the one you need to count on.
- Thích Nhất Hạnh
‘The courage to listen to our conscience and live our own truth is integral to joining, rather than merging, with the larger circles of life we belong to.’
- Joanna Macy
4. Lament for the Earth
‘The Earth has the power to heal herself and to heal us, and we can trust in that power. To see this is not blind faith but can come from observation and experience; it’s not something others tell you to believe in. Every time you suffer, every time you feel lost or alienated, you can get in touch with the Earth to restore yourself. By connecting with the Earth within ourselves, healing begins to take place, healing becomes possible’
- Thích Nhất Hạnh
5. I Am Because You Are
'When you wake up and you see that the Earth is not just the environment, the Earth is us, you touch the nature of interbeing. And at that moment you can have real communication with the Earth. That is the highest form of prayer. In that kind of relationship, you will have the love, strength, and awakening you need to change your life.'
- Thích Nhất Hạnh
‘When we draw on a sense of fellowship, belonging, and connection, it is as if we are remembering our root system. This is power-with, which comes from the larger circle that we can draw on, that acts through us.
Life has a powerful creative energy and manifests a powerful desire to continue. When we align ourselves with the wellbeing of our world, we allow that desire and creative energy to act through us.’
- Joanna Macy
6. The Great Turning
‘Cultivating reverence for the simple wonders of life is, in our times, a powerful act of resistance. Choosing to step outside, to open our eyes, ears, and hearts to the presence of this beautiful planet takes courage and freedom.'
- Thích Nhất Hạnh
In the story of the Great Turning, what’s catching on is the commitment to act for the sake of life on Earth as well as the vision, courage, and solidarity to do so.
We become part of the story of the Great Turning when we increase our awareness, seek to learn more, and alert others to the issues we all face….
Active Hope is not wishful thinking
Active Hope is not waiting to be rescued
by the Lone Ranger or by some saviour.
Active Hope is waking up to the beauty of life on whose behalf we can act.
We belong to this world.
The web of life is calling us forth at this time.
We’ve come a long way and are here to play our part.
With Active Hope we realise that there are adventures in store, strengths to discover, and comrades to link arms with.
Active Hope is a readiness to engage.
Active Hope is a readiness to discover the strengths in ourselves and each other;
a readiness to discover the reasons for hope
and the occasions for love.
A readiness to discover the size and strength of our hearts,
our quickness of mind, our steadiness of purpose,
our own authority, our love for life,
the liveliness of our curiosity,
the unsuspected deep well of patience and diligence,
the keenness of our senses, and our capacity to lead.
None of these can be discovered in an armchair or without risk.
- Joanna Macy
All quotes taken from:
Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet - Thích Nhất Hạnh
&
Active Hope: How To Face the Mess We're in without Going Crazy - Joanna Macy