Sinking Roots

The idea that we should sink roots to weather the storm is not a concept limited to trying times. Indeed, it is the very idea that has allowed humans to be the most successful animal on the planet. Establishing deep connections to others allows us to specialize our tasks in service to the tribe. This allows us to return an expanded and resilient energy to our respective communities by allowing us to focus on our specialty. This is the sweet spot of human connection, where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. The underlying task is to resiliently cultivate those connections in an abundant way so that when the storm arrives, the roots have already been firmly attached to the bedrock.

When the storm is approaching, we don’t ask how we can eradicate the storm, nor how to change its trajectory. Rather we batten down the hatches, stack up sandbags, put duct tape on the windows, evacuate to higher ground, check on loved ones and secure our pets. Rather than denying the storm, we embrace its inevitability. We don’t complain that we’re stuck in the middle, we prepare and ultimately survive to live another day. To do anything but this would be foolish on its face. As we look towards the storm that is approaching in our society, we must ask ourselves – what does it look like to prepare to withstand the political and cultural headwinds that threaten our communities?

My answer to this lies in the everyday things that I do to keep my world moving towards justice, compassion and tolerance. It starts with making my bed each morning, filling my freezer with soup for the cold days ahead, taking my dogs for a walk in the park, and cleaning my floors. It is cultivated by making the time to take a hot bath, play guitar with friends, have weekly conversations with my family, train daily in my arts, and find comfort between the pages of a good book. It starts with creating my own root system to keep myself present, aware and available to be of service to others.

All of these actions allow the space and structure for finding connection to others. It is in these connections that we, as a community, find our common ground and reinforce each family’s commitment to all that we hold dear. Keeping those things sacred becomes possible through the strength that we find in each other, reinforced and mirrored back in the commitment we have to our children, not just for their future, but to the future of our planet.

No matter your age, there are existential problems that you’ve watched go unaddressed, under-addressed, or allowed to balloon into even more terrifying problems. It is natural for this to leave us with an impending sense of doom. Much like the storm, we have been able to see it approach for some time now. The meteorologists among us have reported on the size and scope of the problem, the potential for damage and how each of us may participate in mitigating what seems to be the inevitable outcome. It is immensely aggravating to watch how so many of our fellow humans ignore, belittle and warp the idea of the storm.

It can feel like bailing water out of the bottom of a leaky boat while others in the boat are drilling more holes. We find these actions not only stunning in their ignorance, but the increase in anxiety that accompanies the very act of simply seeing the impact of their shortsightedness on our world is breathtaking. It pains me to say this, but these things are going to continue, probably past the breaking point for most of us. The desperation that can emerge out of this knowledge can not only be stifling, but can bring on an air of hopelessness – what good can come of making my bed in the morning? The good news here is: a lot. Our state of mind and emotional intelligence are key to making sense of our world. In other words, all of it matters if you want to create a frame of mind that offers hope and a path forward. A deeper sense of how to navigate the storm emerges out of the small things that we do every day. Not because those small things can change the face of the storm, or delay it. No, there is nothing that can be done about that. But if we want to incubate resilience, we must pay attention to the small things, be present in the moments that bring us joy and use this laboratory of consciousness to forge tools that can withstand the tumultuous changes that are tumbling our way. A place where joy and satisfaction, coupled with the discipline of a mindset reflecting our true nature, can create robust tools. Then the mental state of mind that emerges to withstand the storm is not based on destruction, but on knowledge, understanding, and awareness.

None of this can happen in a vacuum. No one is strong or smart enough to survive on their own. Resilience is a measure of how you embrace the storm, and while this starts with making your bed, it only comes to its full potential in the company of like-minded individuals. We all want our children to develop the capacity to not only withstand the storm, but to know how to pick up the pieces and forge a new path forward. When coming together in solidarity, each of us needs to enter the community space with the same sense of accomplishment that materializes out of the small things, to join hands to get the big things done. The path before us is monumental, and I for one have my doubts about how we’re going to make it through. Yet, those doubts melt away when I find myself in the strong embrace of like-minded, compassionate people.

It is a simple fact that together, we are stronger than the sum of our individual parts. Let’s all make certain that when we form the next step in our journey together, it’s constructed out of the parts of our world that we want to replicate, for our children, for ourselves, for our world.