Dear Pachamama Alliance Friends and Supporters,
As people who care deeply about environmental sustainability, social justice and human fulfillment, you’ve no doubt been gripped by the political and social tumult now confronting the United States. Clearly there is the danger that new policy directions will erode the long-term gains that have been achieved in protecting the environment and securing rights for all people.
At the same time, it is clear to us at the Pachamama Alliance that these challenging times are a massive wake-up call—and actually an opening for a radical transformation. Millions of concerned people in the United States and around the world are demonstrating in the streets and grappling newly with the importance of political engagement. There has never been such a fertile and important time to come together, to organize, and to engage in innovative actions to repair the flaws in our democracy and to transform systems and structures that currently divide us. This uprising of social activism represents an unprecedented opportunity to build a powerful progressive movement to shape the future of this country.
In this context, the work of the Pachamama Alliance is more important than ever. We are aligned with the many groups and organizations now effectively opposing destructive and regressive new policies. In addition, we offer an essential component to building this progressive movement: an inspiring vision of the future to be achieved—an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, socially just human presence on this planet.
Pachamama Alliance’s programs and network of local communities educate, inspire, and connect a growing cadre of thousands of activists worldwide to work together to create this future. They are “Pacha-people” like you who are steeped in the teachings of nature and the wisdom of indigenous people, who are grounded in possibility and responsibility, and who engage in game-changing action in the world. Building a critical mass of this conscious commitment is key to seizing the opportunity this moment offers.
However, in this changing political landscape, an even higher level of commitment will be required of all of us. We will need a willingness to stretch beyond our personal comfort zones to take actions we may never have previously considered. It will take a heightened vigilance to protect what we value and a fierce determination to take new ground whenever possible. We intend that Pachamama Alliance be a source of support, strength and inspiration for you during these times.
We encourage you to take the long view of what is happening in the U.S. and in the world right now—to rise above the day-to-day drama and stay grounded in long-term evolutionary trends toward greater inclusion, cooperation, and love. It can be helpful to remember Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous words, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
Pachamama Alliance’s stand is that these times provide the opening for a breakthrough into a new era for humanity. It may not be smooth sailing, but if people stay grounded in the long view and remain alert to new possibilities, we can make this transition. It will require a stretch from all of us, yet that is what the future is calling for. Once again, it really is up to us.
In partnership,
Bill Twist
Pachamama Alliance CEO
P.S. We’ve found it useful and inspiring to re-visit our Pachamama Alliance Purpose and Guiding Values. We encourage you to review them also.
