Climate change is huge. So huge that in the face of it all, we often feel overwhelmed by its planetary scale and complexity. Ultimately, many of us feel powerless when confronted by dystopian futures of climate hell. 

 

Alongside this eco anxiety, are our personal connections with the natural world that are being deteriorated by the systems that we live in. More than ever before, people are feeling less connected to the wonders of nature - especially in rich western countries. This is not only caused by the destruction of the natural world by humanity, but also the perspective on this relationship that we have been falling into through centuries of human domination - the perspective of separation. We often see ourselves as islands, separate from nature with goals that only matter to us individually, but don’t realise the roots that connect us to every living thing on the planet. 

 

‘Interbeing’ hopes to bridge the gap between these two issues, by explaining a new perspective on humanity’s relationship with the natural world - one of interdependence and cooperation. It hopes to emphasise that even if you are protecting nature at a small and seemingly insignificant scale, you are still contributing to the reweaving of humanity and nature through the principle of Interbeing. This principle is vital if we are to rebuild the natural world and fight climate change - without it, humanity will continue to take from our planet and not give back.

 

The wellbeing of the sapling in your garden is not a separate, pointless thing, but is the wellbeing of yourself too. When allowed to flourish, that sapling can grow into a healthy tree, cleaning the air you breathe. If we can reestablish the importance of our dependency on the natural world at the personal level, perhaps we can begin to do so on wider scales as well. 

 

"I am life which wills to live, and I exist in the midst of life which wills to live.” - Albert Schweitzer