It’s one story — Reconnecting to meet social and climate crises
As a child, I grew up with strong feelings
Deep feelings of who I am and what is important in life
I felt one with the world
Living and caring was one
As I became older, culture took over
The stories I heard began to colour my life
I went to school
I learned that adults and experts know — not children
I learned that knowledge is external — not internal
Kicked out of the world of wonders and wisdom
I started filling up my brain with knowledge to find a new place in the world
I went through academia
Learned that the truth is complicated
Learned to express myself in complicated ways
Over time, I started to not understand myself anymore
Hiding myself under layers and layers of “othering” to feel protected
At one point, my heart and body became rebellious
My voice refused to repeat others’ stories
My thoughts refused to ignore my feelings
Feelings of partiality, imperfection…. of separation
I lost my voice
It’s when I saw the separation in the world
Consumerism, injustice, climate change
It’s me. It’s us. It’s one story
Searching for a new voice is scary
It makes me shiver
And there is a strong headwind out there
But if you understand my silence, you may understand my words
With stillness, you may hear my call
Visit the Contemplative Sustainable Futures Program at Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS), related research and publications, to find out more. Read also the Medium article: ‘What story do you want to live’?