My great-great grandchildren ask me in dreams
"What did you do while the planet was plundered?
What did you do when the Earth was unraveling?
Surely you did something when the seasons started failing, as the mammals, reptiles, birds were all dying.
Did you fill the streets with protest when democracy was stolen?
What did you do once you knew?"
This is part of a poem by Drew Dellinger a young social activist, cosmologist, and Thomas Berry scholar. I had the privilege of hearing him recite the entire poem in person last week as I assisted with a video shoot for Pachamama Alliance with their Awakening the Dreamer symposium. I also got to listen to Lynne Twist and Joanna Macy.
As with all the the work that I've done with Pachamama, there was an incredible energy present with us that day. I got to thinking about how lucky I've been to be exposed to this. Through my film work, I've been blessed with an incredible environmental awakening that I continue to carry with me and foster. As I search for my next career move, I had thought it might be directly involved with this cause. However, I think there is an even higher plan for my environmental consciousness. I remind myself to have faith that I am working towards the greatest good that I can.
This greater good is not immediately obvious when thinking about entering the big bad world of consumerism. As I become increasingly excited about re-embracing my engineering roots, I have to come to terms with the fact that engineers build stuff - stuff that gets sold. Stuff that people buy too much of. Stuff that's bad for the planet. The other way to look at this, however, is that: Stuff is going to get made no matter what, and I if I can help make better ecological decisions along every step of the process then I'm doing my part. There is no way to know how it's all going to look all the way down the road, rather, you simply need to start making your best educated steps.
This seems to be a shared viewpoint of all the Pachamama interviewees: We do not know what the future of our planet will look like. The science and realities around us certainly paint a bleak picture, but all we can do is educate ourselves and start to make proactive decisions. We have to have faith because there is no other option.
I wonder how it will all turn out.
