Sustainability as a felt connection

I once read that if we coded an advanced AI system to take good care of Planet Earth the first thing it would do is to eradicate all humans. In Avengers the super villain Thanos succeeds in killing exactly half of all living beings in the Universe, in order to create sustainable conditions for the other half. Today, one of the biggest reasons for young people to get depressed is the realisation that we are destroying our one and only habitat. Millions of sensitive and well informed future torchbearers of the human civilisation simply don’t see a reason to live anymore, let alone to reproduce. 

With soon 8 billion of us here on our pale blue dot, consuming ever-increasing amounts of almost everything, clearly something has to change. But I really hope it will not have to be by measures of human elimination, whether at the hand of misguided technology, brutal rulers willing to do “whatever it takes”, or by passive means of self destruction. 

Today, knowledge is readily available to us. Never before have so many people known so much about sustainability as we do today. We might not have all the details, but most of us have a good picture of the overall situation. We understand causality better than ever before. We understand that when we do X then Y is the consequence, somewhere on the planet. It can indeed be very depressing to know what most of us know today. 

But depression breeds disempowerment, and we need the opposite. We need to be motivated to make the changes in our own lives, and to speak up for positive change on a bigger scale, which requires us to feel empowered. Where do we find our inner super powers, those that will make us capable of working constructively, creatively and tenaciously for sustainability? Without burning out, without becoming depressed, and without becoming consumed by bitterness and rage towards humanity. I suggest that the answer lies with the very thing that we want to save in the first place: NATURE. 

Nature has the power to recharge us, uplift us, make us fall in love with life. Children know this instinctively. We have all seen a toddler jump up and down in a puddle of water. Such joy, such excitement, such appreciation! 

How do we return to this feeling, so that sustainability becomes a felt connection with the very nature we are trying to save? 

Would you do whatever it takes to save the person you love the most? Of course you would. We all would. This is because we feel the love. Without that feeling our attempts to help would be half hearted, which in many cases would mean that they would be unsuccessful. 

When a bystander runs into a burning house to save someone else’s child we get moved and inspired. Such a person has a huge amount of empathy. Empathy with the child, and empathy with the child’s parents. Most often strangers will not take such a risk to their own wellbeing. I suggest that the same psychology is at play when the one in danger is our planet and the climate. 

We can know a million facts, but if we don’t feel empathy with the nature that is currently being destroyed, and with the animal species going extinct, our willingness to go out of our way to make a positive change will be limited. 

If we accept this logic, then the question becomes: what can we do to fall in love with nature? To become like children again, but with all the knowledge and resources that comes with being an adult, so that we can actually live out our love in an impactful way. 

Where do we start? 

A powerful way is to simply get out into nature. 

The more aware, conscious and intentional we can be during such journeys, the bigger the impact. Walks in the forest are amazing, and the calming effects are undeniable. If we extend the adventure to include sleeping out in the open, on the beach in a sleeping bag, or in the forest in a tent or shelter, the effect grows exponentially. 

While solitude in nature is amazing, it can also work wonders to be a group going on a retreat into nature. This way we can be supported while we do activities to connect with Mother Nature; activities that we would normally not get around to doing on our own. Or that we would feel embarrassed to do, without a guide leading the way. If we want to really benefit from an hour of spinning in the gym, many of us find it easier to fully engage and get the maximum benefits in a group setting. The same is true about our adventures into nature. 

Based on this understanding and motivation we have decided to organise a Nature Gathering, August 21-23, on the stunningly beautiful Danish Island M?n, together with Marcus Bodnia, former Head of Sustainability at Able. You can read more about it here, and feel free to reach out if you would like to join this experience: https://www.heartfulgatherings.com/upcoming

There are always possibilities for us to connect deeper with nature. Swimming in the sea, or in a lake, gives a very direct experience of contact with the water element. Sitting around a campfire can be clearing, calming and centering. Watching the clouds, really watching them, can bring us the realisation that in nature something is always going on, and that we too are part of the immersive vastness of the sky. Listening to the birds has been shown to make us live longer and happier lives. Stones are amazing, each one different, and so often incredibly beautiful. Trees are a whole love story of themselves, and so much more intelligent and sophisticated than most of us give them credit for. We could continue like this, but you get the point. 

Nature is readily available to us all, and by connecting consciously we produce in ourselves feelings of love, joy and appreciation. We want to save Mother Nature not just because we have to... but because we love her. 

What is the one thing we can do today to strengthen our connection with nature, and to make sustainability a HEART matter just as much as it is a HEAD matter? 

For us the answer is clear: get out in nature, connect with her rhythm and magic, allow ourselves to be enchanted, held and nourished. And we think doing this together as a group is that much more powerful and magical! Join us on M?n, or have your own weekend experience and let us know about it.