Following the Lead of Indigenous People
My mother taught me to love the earth, to not leave a mess, to leave things better. As an adult I worked on peace, justice, and human rights issues. I noticed that Indigenous communities were focused on defending the earth and all the humans and other creatures. I also noticed that they often organized their struggles with a longer view than settler-colonizer peacemakers like myself. In the middle of struggles for immediate survival, they would mentor young people and allies, practice ceremony, and allot time for deep teaching.
After a while, I understood that Indigenous people and Indigenous wisdom have the best chance of leading us out of the horrors created by colonization, capitalism, and racism, including the climate emergency.
I try to organize my daily life in a way that contributes to turning around the climate crisis (for example, not taking air flights). In my organizing work and prayer, I try to follow the lead of the Indigenous people in my region.
Reproducido de la lista de discusión por correo electrónico de RC para líderes en el cuidado del medio ambiente
Tucson, Arizona, USA
Reprinted from the RC e-mail discussion list for leaders in care of the environment
(Present Time 207, April 2022)