In times marked by unprecedented crises, from threats to democracy worldwide to catastrophic climate disruption, staying grounded and resilient can be profoundly challenging. In a recent Resilience and Possibility gathering, Pachamama Alliance Co-Founders Bill and Lynne Twist offered profound insights into meeting this challenge, urging us all to find strength in unity, sacred reciprocity with the Earth, and unwavering purpose. Together, they explored how deepening our connections to each other and Earth can ground us and guide us through these turbulent times.
The Power of Relationships
Lynne opened the conversation with reflections on how resilience, particularly in times like these, emerges from the power of our relationships–by what we care about. First, drawing on Joanna Macy’s wisdom, she invited us all not to shy away from grief or pain but to see it as a profound sign of connection and love. “When we feel pain, don’t be afraid of it,” she said, “because where it comes from is love. Love for this world, love for life, love for all the species on this planet, love for the future.” Anchoring ourselves in love as a guiding force is a source of strength amidst turbulent times.
Resilience, Lynne suggested, grows from the depth of our relationships and the profound sense of responsibility that comes from a commitment to “the flourishing of life.” “We care about every species, even the ones that have never been discovered. We care about the plants and animals that accompany us on this planet, that walk on this Earth with us.” This deep-seated care, she suggested, is key to resilience. By embracing our love for life in all its diversity, we connect to a strength that can endure. Our relationships to each other and with nature can become an anchor that builds resilience even when the noise of the outside world feels overpowering.
Living a Mighty Purpose
Bill shared a powerful quote by George Bernard Shaw that anchors him: “This is the true joy in life: being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one.” For him, that purpose is to contribute to the flourishing of life on this planet. In fact, he says all life is here for that purpose. He emphasized that each of us has a role to play in this larger purpose, and by staying connected to it, we can remain steady and focused even amid difficulties.
He highlighted that fulfilling this purpose requires bold thinking and a reimagining of what’s possible if we hope to address the global issues that threaten the well-being of all life. When we see ourselves as stewards of life’s potential, he suggested, our consciousness expands to embrace solutions that go beyond conventional limits. Bill called us to consider that the paradigms we’ve relied on—those deeply rooted in growth and dominance—may be misaligned with the solutions we need. He spoke of shifting from “human supremacy” to “human responsibility”—an essential evolution if we’re to meet the scope and scale of the challenges before us.
Grounded Optimism to Navigate Current Turmoil
As the U.S. election looms, Lynne emphasized the importance of grounding ourselves in what she calls "the eternal," which allows us to create a "clearing" or a "field of calm and stillness." This inner stillness helps root ourselves in love and what we stand for, rather than what we oppose.
“I think you want to root in what you love and what you care about in a way that's not against something but what you're for. That's what a grounded optimist does,” she advised, framing this mindset as essential to staying grounded in optimism.
Moving Beyond Politics: Toward Lasting Solutions
When asked about the upcoming U.S. election, Bill emphasized that the pressing issues we face extend far beyond individual candidates or political parties. “We barely talked about climate change at all in this election,” he noted, “but the issue of what's happening to our environment is an even bigger threat than climate change.” He pointed to increasing toxins in our environment and the alarming loss of biodiversity as a “bigger threat to human existence and the existence of species on this planet.”
Bill argued that addressing these challenges necessitates a fundamental shift away from the growth-driven paradigm that both major parties and our economy currently uphold. This paradigm, he noted, often sidelines critical environmental discussions in favor of protecting entrenched economic power, which resists democratic oversight.
“Historically, power gets its way, protects itself, and comes out on top,” he explained. But today, the path forward requires a fundamental shift from a mindset of human supremacy to one of human responsibility and sacred reciprocity with the community of life. “The ability to accomplish this is the biggest challenge,” he asserted, emphasizing that this transformation is not only vital but could also serve as a unifying challenge for humanity.
A Call to Action: Listening to Earth for Guidance
Bill and Lynne closed with a call to deepen our connection with the Earth, listening to it as a source of wisdom and guidance. Bill suggested that listening to the Earth can reveal a consciousness that transcends our historical patterns of dominance and competition, instead inviting us into a mindset of humility and reciprocity. Lynne described this approach as an invitation to shift from “human supremacy to sacred reciprocity” with the Earth and each other—a concept that Pachamama Alliance holds at the heart of its work. She encouraged the community to stay grounded in this commitment, urging them to remember that while the future is uncertain, our purpose and connection to life are unwavering.
As Bill aptly summarized, “I do see a new potential kind of consciousness for humanity that's starting to show up in the work that Lynne was talking about with this Earth Listening Circle and learning how to really make ourselves an instrument for guidance from the natural world so that we can be effective at the purpose we are here for.”
In times of great change, Lynne and Bill’s words offer a beacon of hope and guidance. By staying rooted in purpose, fostering resilience through relationships, and listening to the wisdom of the Earth, we can navigate the uncertainty ahead with clarity and compassion. Through our collective commitment to these values, we have the opportunity to create a more resilient, interconnected, and flourishing world.
