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Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
Semine Long-Callesen The soul is neither the inner self, the divine, nor the immaterial, as traditional philosophical thinking might argue. Rather, it is that which binds us together: it is relational and environmental, and when a species goes extinct, its soul, and thereby its relations, goes with it.
And it will be up to Gaians to promote a right relationship with the living Earth, based on respect, deference, and atoning for decades of exploitation—just not as individuals, but as economic, political, and cultural systems, even as the levels of climate denial and climate disruptions crescendo and pull apart the economic, political and social realities we’ve known our entire lives.
Tomorrow’s worlds are built on reality. We need to tell a counter-narrative of the good life, of common decency, of hope, with creativity, solidarity, audacity… and joy. Which is what we need now more than ever!
It strikes me that we are now at a crucial tipping point where a large number of people have been activated to the dire state of things when it comes to our many crises and challenges but whose behaviours are not commensurate with their understanding.
Let’s not take these self-proclaimed heroes and warriors too seriously. People who don’t know the first thing about how to take care of themselves materially and are dependent on others to provide for their needs aren’t heroes. They’re helpless children.
If there is one lesson history teaches us, it is that those who acknowledge limits survive. Those who ignore them do not. The choice before us is simple: adapt to reality, or continue chasing a fantasy until it all falls apart.
It’s not that human carbon emissions don’t matter; they matter hugely. It’s that they aren’t the only matter, and are intimately coupled with the land and our treatment of it.
In summer 2024 the original plan for our agroecological farm was fully realised. We have two agroforestry systems producing every year shiitake mushrooms, aromatic herbs, annual vegetables and fruits without the use of any fertilisers or pesticides. The farm food lab is running where we transform most of our fresh products into artisanal jars and bottles. We have an online shop and last summer we opened the farm shop.
We’re going to need quick wits, courage, incredibly hard work, and some real luck to put out this moronic inferno—but that’s the job of being a citizen in 2025.
Just as gravity keeps the Earth, solar system, and galaxy together/organized, so too does the Law of Life keep the community of life together.
Insurers should, through their disclosure and lobbying power, play a key role in achieving a safer and more resilient world. Through disclosure, they can share their vast knowledge about the financial risks of a climate changed world. Through lobbying, they can advocate for a suite of laws and policies that make the world more insurable in the face of the ever-mounting risks.
So yeah, let us rewild half (or I’d say almost all) the Earth, with people integrated into ecologically functional landscapes. There is much to be anxious about in the future, but I hope the prospect of people becoming Indigenous to a place again motivates us to work on this more gracious possibility.
