We belong to a complex, interconnected living system. Every action we take or don’t take has effects that ripple through space and time. We therefore need to examine the potential systemic consequences of our decisions including those which may not be evident at first sight. And we also need to understand that our wellbeing depends on the wellbeing of the whole web of life. 

The urgency of the challenges of our time require that we embrace our ability to respond consciously and compassionately with individual actions towards a more sustainable future.

We realize that we can commit to do-able actions, from avoiding plastic and recycling to planting trees and supporting biodiversity to attending to the needs of our communities. The list of how we can offer our natural skills is endless and open to everyone’s creativity. Even so, large-scale-decisions and actions are needed from our governments and people in power, we believe that our times call for a shared effort that can be taken up with joy, gratitude and care. 

When we come together in a circle with awareness and openness to each other and to nature, we can tap into a collective wisdom difficult to access on our own. This responds to the notion that “The Whole is Bigger than its Parts”. 

It is important to live essential questions together with others and to befriend uncertainty as a necessary step to tap into deeper levels of knowing and meaning. In particular we have to be willing to question current systemic and cultural assumptions which we have taken for granted and which may be a hindrance for a sustainable future, such as the goodness of unlimited growth, speed, competition and efficiency. 

For a meaningful inquiry everyone needs to have a place and a voice, independent of gender, social status, cultural, background, education, age, and political views. We may have to look more deeply into what we reject and judge and learn to open to others with curiosity and kindness, rather than judging or exiling anyone. We are asked to embrace each other’s differences and to co-create with each other in service of a sustainable world for all.