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’?