"I'll lift you and you lift me, and we'll both ascend together.
~ John Greenleaf Whittier
Facing up to the full scope of the planetary crisis we are now facing can be heartbreaking. The facts we face come with feelings--of sadness and guilt, outrage and powerlessness, fear and even despair. The sheer magnitude of the problem can overwhelm our capacity to take action and cause us to question our very faith. These feelings may be too much to deal with alone, yet it can be hard to find others with whom to share them, even within our own families or in our Meeting communities. That's the bad news.
The good news is that there are now more and more places to take these conversations. Within Pacific Yearly Meeting and among the thousands of organizations working on climate concerns, we can find companions to help us break through the overwhelm and grief. And that is often just what happens: in the midst of our breaking out, some kind of unexpected joy or gratitude comes through, along with better answers and a path forward. And almost always, we find a deeper sense of hope and connection with others.
Traditional Quaker processes such as clearness or anchoring committees, threshing, worshipful discernment and seeking unity will be particularly useful for us as Friends in our climate work. But we can also bring these processes into service for our communities and others in our networks who can use (and give) support in facing the climate crisis, which the United Nations has called "an immediate existential threat to lives and livelihoods." This section of the website offers queries and links to resources to support Friends and Meetings, fellow seekers, and climate activists in seeking discernment for what is ours to do--to change all we must, save all we can, achieve what we still might, and live into spiritual fulfillment no matter what we face.
The good news is that there are now more and more places to take these conversations. Within Pacific Yearly Meeting and among the thousands of organizations working on climate concerns, we can find companions to help us break through the overwhelm and grief. And that is often just what happens: in the midst of our breaking out, some kind of unexpected joy or gratitude comes through, along with better answers and a path forward. And almost always, we find a deeper sense of hope and connection with others.
Traditional Quaker processes such as clearness or anchoring committees, threshing, worshipful discernment and seeking unity will be particularly useful for us as Friends in our climate work. But we can also bring these processes into service for our communities and others in our networks who can use (and give) support in facing the climate crisis, which the United Nations has called "an immediate existential threat to lives and livelihoods." This section of the website offers queries and links to resources to support Friends and Meetings, fellow seekers, and climate activists in seeking discernment for what is ours to do--to change all we must, save all we can, achieve what we still might, and live into spiritual fulfillment no matter what we face.
Queries
Do I allow old paradigms to dominate my understanding and thereby prevent progress to a just world?
How do we give each other—and our communities—support for the feelings that surface when we face the full impact of these realities?
By what processes—Quaker and other—do we find the clarity, courage and compassion to act as led—no matter what the cost—in service to all Life and our beautiful planet?
Am I prepared to join Friends and others as we discern paths to transform the harm resulting from human over-consumption of Earth's gifts?
Do we believe, as New England Yearly Meeting has minuted, that "it is incumbent upon every Friend and every Friends Meeting to discover how God is leading us to do our part to reverse this great threat"? If so, how can we, together, discern what is ours to do?
How can we organize our lives and our Meetings in witness to our right relationship with the Earth, and join with others in active stewardship now and in the future?
Do I allow old paradigms to dominate my understanding and thereby prevent progress to a just world?
How do we give each other—and our communities—support for the feelings that surface when we face the full impact of these realities?
By what processes—Quaker and other—do we find the clarity, courage and compassion to act as led—no matter what the cost—in service to all Life and our beautiful planet?
Am I prepared to join Friends and others as we discern paths to transform the harm resulting from human over-consumption of Earth's gifts?
Do we believe, as New England Yearly Meeting has minuted, that "it is incumbent upon every Friend and every Friends Meeting to discover how God is leading us to do our part to reverse this great threat"? If so, how can we, together, discern what is ours to do?
How can we organize our lives and our Meetings in witness to our right relationship with the Earth, and join with others in active stewardship now and in the future?
Connections, Inspiration and Solutions
climate cafesClimate Cafes are informal gatherings founded on the idea that action on climate change will increase as more people from a range of walks of life, geographic locales, and levels of political and environmental involvement,begin to talk about Climate Change, sharing questions, concerns, and hopes. There may be a Climate Cafe already in your community. If not, click on the photo above for instructions about how to start one.
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