The measure of our humanity is courage – our ability to interact with ourselves and with each other when it really matters.
To be courageous is to honour our feelings deeply, personally in our body and out openly in the world, to face head-on the things we care deeply about, regardless of the outcome, whether it be a relationship or even hopes for the future, a possibility for our society.
To belong, to be here is a privilege and it is an act of courage to take action towards change coupled with hope. Whereby hope is not passive. Hope is faith and energy in action.
Action requires fuel; emotion. It’s only human to be moved by what we feel and we’ve been distracted to the point of not being able to hear ourselves, all at the risk of feeling nothing.
To reconnect, to act with hope and integrity, we must be able to listen.
First and foremost, to ourselves; to hear, to understand how we truly feel and allow what we really care about in our inner world to be heard and start to make changes in our outer world to reflect that. Secondly, to others. To respect the needs of others without judgement, ask questions, holding space to truly and deeply listen. Thirdly, to our planet, our home; listening to nature. Indigenous cultures haven’t forgotten this. It’s been telling us, communicating wildly, viscerally; change is needed.
Our economic and political structure is not fixed. Designed by us, held up by us, without question, so why can’t it can be reimagined? This alignment requires vulnerability, changing the narrative, changing the stories once told to us and accepted without question.
The art of deep listening takes radical empathy. It’s radical in the way we ask questions and truly listen to deeply understand the answers. To hold space is an act of love and frankly, it’s all we have at this point. Empathy, sympathy and love are limitless resources, energies that never deplete, even in the darkest of times and in this state of flux and dwindling natural resources, we must cherish and explore these inexhaustible options – our new currencies.