Last weekend, I traveled with some other ECO members to a climate change conference in Yellow Springs, Ohio (my hometown!) hosted by a nonprofit called Community Solutions. At the conference, we attended speeches and panels on topics like the limits of (economic) growth, energy democracy, and community activism.
I have trouble with these sorts of things. Activism makes me uncomfortable. I’m a shy person at heart, and I’m often afraid to take a stand. I was feeling excited but also pretty downtrodden because I didn’t know what I could do. This feeling is hard for me because I like the idea of being that person who can jump in and do what I can to help in any situation. But this mentality can be bad for me and the people around me, because if I’m doing something that I’m bad at or that I genuinely don’t have time for, everyone suffers. At the conference, I was looking at these people who had dedicated their lives to fighting climate change and thinking, “I could never do that—it would make me too sad all the time.”
I felt selfish. Ever since I was little, I’ve been a sensitive person, which means that I do so many things in my life to avoid feeling sad. I do this not just to avoid the feeling, but because I know that when I sink into an apathetic, depressive state, I can’t be my best self for the people who need me to be. I’m not myself, and in my experience, I’ve been the most successful when I am being true to myself.
At the conference, I went to a session called Fostering Nature Connections, which was hosted by Tina Fields, a professor who teaches classes in Ecopsychology at Naropa University. (No, I had never heard of Ecopsychology either, but according to the Naropa website, it “integrates psychology and ecological issues in the study of human-nature relationships.”)
Yes, this session on nature connections sounded kind of artsy-fartsy to me too, and I grew up in “hippie town.” (People used to knit scarves and sew them around trees of so that all the trees could literally be hugged.) But the things Fields had to say were completely genuine and easy to connect with. She discussed “how to witness what’s going on [with climate change] with a vulnerable heart without falling into numbness,” asserting that “vulnerability is power” (which reminded me of Brene Brown’s TED talk on the “Power of Vulnerability”). “The natural world hasn’t forgotten us,” Fields said, “we need to allow it to come back to us.”
The core of her session consisted of asking us—her audience of about 20 people—to pair up with someone and complete the following statements with each other:
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When I think about the situation facing the world today, I feel…
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Some ways I avoid feeling these things are….
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Some things I love about being alive in Earth are…
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A place or other aspect of nature that was magical or wonderful to me as a child was…
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Some things I appreciate about myself and my choices regarding climate change are…
Answering these questions with my partner changed everything about that weekend for me. I felt like my feelings were not only validated but also useful. I felt empowered to use the skills I already have to make a difference with issues that I care about. It was incredible to see how much energy can be sparked by a task like this in a room full of people who just go with it. It’s easy, I think, as young people with a lot on our plates, to close our minds off to anything that seems silly or unnecessary. It’s hard to believe our professors when they give us an assignment that seems like busy-work but they insist is beneficial to our learning; it can even be hard to believe our friends when they confront us about something we’re doing wrong. But just going with it—or leaning into it, opening your heart, whatever terminology you want to use—can be so beneficial.
Although we were using these questions for topics relating to climate change, I think you can apply them to anything you care about, but especially things you’re struggling with. It’s important that we let ourselves feel, that we check in, and that we congratulate ourselves for the little things we are doing right. I’d like to share, also, that one of the things I said I love about living on Earth was being able to walk down Middle Path every morning, especially in the fall. It is such a privilege to learn and grow on this beautiful little hill. Enjoy it! Let it get to you!
Image credits: WYSO, Dione Greenberg, Community Solutions, Mollie Greenberg