I was listening to a podcast by Sounds True founder, Tami Simon. She had interviewed author, environmentalist, activist and elder Joanna Macy.
It’s a wise and inspiring interview.
One part that jumped out at me was when Joanna shared that she sees 3 stories playing out in our world:
1 The Great Turning
This story is that the times we live in are calling us all to change, to learn new ways of being and of doing conflict, of advocating for species. The times are about creativity and a shift in consciousness – where we choose to see our environments not just as a supply house but to see our world as a living body.
2 The Great Unraveling
This story is that the times we live in are the dying times. We are living in the sixth extinction, where everything is being destroyed. I must admit I often find myself here and simply accept death as part of life and attempt to contribute to a gentler death.
3 Business as Usual
This story is about a focus on growing our economy and continuing to take from the earth in a one way relationship, in the usual ways we’ve always done things.
Joanna shared that she sees all three stories as having truth. And that we have the choice about where we put our attention. We have a choice about how we understand a given set of experiences – what meaning we want to put to it.
Joanna asks which story will be the predominate one? What action one decides to take, if any, comes out of where we situate ourselves in these stories.
“If the world is to be healed through human efforts, I am convinced it will be by ordinary people, people whose love for this life is even greater than their fear.” .. Joanna R. Macy