As I read the thoughtful blogs on this site, I feel grateful for the vision, practical wisdom, and creative thinking that I see so often expressed here. In a time when the very foundation of our way of life is breaking down, it is inspiring to hear from so many who are willing to roll up their sleeves and prepare to do the more conscious  work of growing good food, providing shelter, and strengthening their local communities for whatever may come.

And of course there is good reason to believe that we may be facing a great deal more challenge in the future. Global climate change, species decline, and the growing political and economic polarization all hint at a “perfect storm” of events that call into question our very survival. Curiously, all of this seems to be happening at the same time that our political leaders are increasingly parochial and less capable. For the next few decades, and probably for the next few generations, it looks like we are in for a very wild ride indeed!

Food, clothing, and shelter are basic needs. Most of us also acknowledge the importance of healthy communities to help provide these basic necessities. There is however a whole other realm of experience that is critical to our survival; indeed, it begins to become more apparent when people come together on common projects and seek to live in community. This is the realm of emotions.

Without emotional resilience, people will not survive. Not only do we need to ‘think through’ this process of breakdown, we need to feel our way through it. In fact, our proclivity for thinking first and perhaps allowing a bit of emotional expression later on is a pattern that has helped get us into this dire predicament. More about that at another time perhaps.

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