events

activism is medicine on-line workshop series

june 2023 (dates tab)

Part 1: Predicament and Trajectories

We set the stage for the conversation, and begin with the primacy of climate truth, the reality of ecological overshoot, and the importance of language. We’ll review the non-linear, accelerating pace of climate collapse and the prospects for our near-term future, talk about the precautionary principle and discuss the reasons why climate lies and denialism persist. We’ll also address our psycho-spiritual dimensions of our predicament. As Aldo Leopold famously put it, “one of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds.”

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Part 2: Activism and the Body

We talk about the neurobiology of stress and the power of meaning to sustain our work. The standard narrative tells us that activism is a stressful and frustrating health negative, but what if we develop a strong sense of meaning and purpose? How important is the need for precision? How should we put this all together when we engage with other people and organizations? And how does the concept of alienation fit into our choice of actions? We’ll talk about the integration of the human mind-body and the vital insights of Viktor Frankl and his landmark book, Man’s Search for Meaning. Likewise, we’ll explore the Japanese concept of Ikigai, the sense of meaning and purpose that gets us up in the morning.

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Part 3: Martial Artistry, Strategy,

and Tactics: April 22

We begin by addressing our educational vacuum and our failure to teach one another about conflict and fighting skills, what we might call “martial artistry.” We’ll ask some foundational questions about the who, what, where, when, why, and how of fighting. Are you fighting for or against something? What makes a good action? What are the essential elements of non-violent civil disobedience? What’s the difference between hard and soft style engagement? And finally, what does it mean to “treat people like animals?”

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Part 4: Activism as a Spiritual Practice:

We discuss the root causes of our climate crisis, and some common failures of activism. What is it about our culture and belief systems that lead to such a dysfunctional relationship with the natural world? In turn, we’ll consider our relationships with hyper-complex systems and the implied life lessons. When faced with systems like big organizations, culture, and society, it becomes almost impossible to predict the exact consequences of our actions. In other words, we are fundamentally ignorant of how our behaviors will change the world. Ultimately, we come to realize that the world is changed, not by any particular action or strategy, but by the way we show up.

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