Transforming cancel culture & Ecological grief

The current state of Our world can be incredibly overwhelming. It can be difficult to know what to do to help, to contribute and serve. Especially in our current climate where there is a rise in Cancel culture & 'calling one another out'. The reality is we are all walking contradictions. Much of our society, systems, products we buy, the ways in which we live are not in alignment with People & Planet. We must (Re)member that we are all working towards the same intention & cause ~ harmony. Even those of us who may not be intentionally doing so want the same, we all want to live in harmony; it is inherent to our nature. I have seen a huge amount of cancel culture particularly directed at many who in fact are working towards change and who are willing to learn. We must remember we all make mistakes, and often unknowingly.

I see the difference towards change and growth being ~

are you someone willing to see your mistakes, to work towards healing & bettering yourself or are you someone who denies them?

Many who are in fear of making mistakes will naturally move towards denial ~ this is a natural defence. I'll repeat once again as it is so important that we remember we all make mistakes, we are all learning, we never stop. If we are not 'making mistakes' and learning we are not growing. My worry with this increase in cancel culture is that it may inhibit conversation, learning & growth as a Collective. In order to created sustained societal change we must share openly & with an understanding approach. We need to make it appealing, not an attack or threat like approach.

The main intention behind creating this space has been to offer possible Individual (Self), Collective & Climate solutions or antidotes. I felt called to do so due to my own experience of Ecological anxiety & grief, coinciding with the pain of seeing so many in pain & suffering in the world be it in my inner circle or world community. To me, it is simple, we are all in this together; it is incredibly beautiful & Empowering to connect & realise how deeply connected we all are.

Today, I wanted to offer an example from the above. I often feel incredibly distressed when I see the unnecessary plastic used in supermarkets, this coincides with foods that are not local or seasonal which not only is damaging for the environment but also for our bodies.

I have felt this way for years. I have since sought out alternative solutions for example growing your own food, buying veg locally (Green Earth Organics & Harvest Day are great examples in Ireland), making your own products etc. I will write another post specifically for this.

However, I realised that though this is a power•full & wonder•full alternative, it does not feel like •enough•

I have often thought about creating a petition to ask certain supermarkets to reduce their plastic as it is such an extortionate amount any slight reduction will create a HUGE difference. And then I had a thought, why not email them directly. I felt a petition was almost aggressive, a form of 'calling them out.' I understand they are a business, probably set up before we had the knowledge of the damage this is causing. And so, I have emailed a number of supermarkets explaining this. The Earth & our Collective health is something at the forefront of my mind.. always. Though, I must realise that, this is not the case for e v e r y o n e. I must understand, how & why another is operating in the way they are. If it is something that may be causing harm, then that may be a time to start a conversation. A conversation be•ing the important wording here. You see a petition would not be a conversation, a space of understanding one another and learning. No, it would be a call out. This, is not something I would like to happen to me & so I will not do so to another (even if, that 'other' is someone or something I believe to be causing harm).

I do not believe anyone, ever means to cause harm. I believe our world is filled with a lot of people who are deeply struggling and are deeply disconnected from Self, the Earth & Collective. In order to find connection again, we must connect,

not attack.

And so, here is an example layout of the emails I have sent out. Please feel free to copy & edit to suit anything you may wish to start a conversation with.

as always

with Love

Dear _______ My name is____. I wanted to reach out as often when I shop at ____ I feel incredibly upset at the unnecessary plastic use due to our awareness of the effect this has on not only the environment but also our health. So many supermarkets and businesses across the world are doing things to move towards the reduction of waste products & plastic use. Instead of starting perhaps a public petition I wanted to reach out to ask could you please reduce this plastic use? My other option is of course to shop elsewhere at a more sustainable business which I often do. However the knowing of this waste genuinely upsets me as I know how damaging it is for us all. I understand this is a business and that many of your systems & processes were perhaps in place long before these issues became connected. However I do believe we have alternatives available now: such as reduction, brown paper bags instead of plastic and to source more locally to name a few. I believe it is so important for us all to work towards this together, as we are learning together. I am so happy & willing to offer other alternatives / ideas and to have a chat. My contact is 111111111111 Thank you so much for your time & I look forward to connecting (your name)