“This is a dark time, filled with suffering and uncertainty. Like living cells in a larger body, it is natural that we feel the trauma of our world. So don’t be afraid of the anguish you feel, or the anger or fear, because these responses arise from the depth of your caring and the truth of your interconnectedness with all beings.” WorldFeelsHumansBodySufferingFearNatureNaturalDarkConnectionsAngerFilledResponseDepthCaringTraumaAriseCellsUncertaintyOur WorldAnguishConnectednessInterconnectednessDark Times Book:Pass it On: Five Stories That Can Change the World Source: Pass it On: Five Stories That Can Change the World
“We are capable of suffering with our world, and that is the true meaning of compassion. It enables us to recognize our profound interconnectedness with all beings. Don't ever apologize for crying for the trees burning in the Amazon or over the waters polluted from mines in the Rockies. Don't apologize for the sorrow, grief, and rage you feel. It is a measure of your humanity and your maturity. It is a measure of your open heart, and as your heart breaks open there will be room for the world to heal. That is what is happening as we see people honestly confronting the sorrows of our time.” PeopleWorldFeelsHeartSufferingHumanityWaterRoomsGriefCompassionBreakTreeCryMinesSorrowCapableHappeningsProfoundRageHonestlyHealBurningMaturityOur TimeOur WorldApologizingAmazonHeart BreakConfrontingOpen HeartInterconnectednessTrue Meaning Author:Joanna Macy
“The refusal to feel takes a heavy toll. Not only is there an impoverishment of our emotional and sensory life, flowers are dimmer and less fragrant, our loves less ecstaticâ but this psychic numbing also impedes our capacity to process and respond to information. The energy expended in pushing down despair is diverted from more creative uses, depleting the resilience and imagination needed for fresh visions and strategies.” FeelsUseEnergyProcessImaginationVisionCreativeInformationEmotionalFlowerNeededDespairCapacityStrategyHeavyResiliencePushingOur LovePsychicsRefusalEcstaticSensoryTollsNumbing Author:Joanna Macy
“Compassion literally means to feel with, to suffer with. Everyone is capable of compassion, and yet everyone tends to avoid it because it's uncomfortable. And the avoidance produces psychic numbing - resistance to experiencing our pain for the world and other beings.” WorldFeelsMeanPainSufferingCompassionProduceCapableEncouragementResistanceUncomfortablePsychicsAvoidanceNumbing Author:Joanna Macy
“Yes, it looks bleak. But you are still alive now. You are alive with all the others, in this present moment. And because the truth is speaking in the work, it unlocks the heart. And there’s such a feeling and experience of adventure. It’s like a trumpet call to a great adventure. In all great adventures there comes a time when the little band of heroes feels totally outnumbered and bleak, like Frodo in Lord of the Rings or Pilgrim in Pilgrim’s Progress. You learn to say ‘It looks bleak. Big deal, it looks bleak.’” FeelsLooksHeartLittlesStillsMomentsFeelingsBigsDealsLordAliveProgressAdventureHeroTruth IsBandRingsPresent MomentWorking ItBig DealTrumpetsPilgrimBleakThere Comes A TimeFrodoGreat Adventure Author:Joanna Macy
“The sorrow, grief, and rage you feel is a measure of your humanity and your evolutionary maturity. As your heart breaks open there will be room for the world to heal.” WorldFeelsHeartHumanityRoomsGriefBreakSorrowRageHealMaturityHeart Break Book:Greening of the Self Source: Greening of the Self
