Recognizing our Kinship
Recognizing our Kinship
Recognizing our Kinship to Hear the Cry of the Earth
By: Colleen Mollica
We are all connected. We often hear this phrase, yet we rarely consider its meaning or why it truly matters. Our individual choices can have far-reaching consequences, impacting not only ourselves and others but also the environment around us. Integral ecology conceptualizes that all living beings are interrelated parts of a larger whole. We are all kin. Mystics, prophets, poets, and indigenous cultures have proclaimed for millennia that the wholeness and holiness of nature impact our bodies, minds, and spirits.
The global climate crisis we face today is a result of ignoring the interrelationship between us and the planet. In his encyclical Laudato Si’, His Holiness Pope Francis proposed that the social and environmental issues we face today are not two separate crises, but one complex crisis with social, spiritual, and ecological dimensions.
Addressing these issues requires the development of a holistic approach that honors the sacred relationship between us and our environment. The refrain, “We are all connected,” appears in various forms no fewer than ten times in Laudato Si. All organisms within an ecosystem are connected. Humans are a part of nature rather than superior to or separate from it. Pope Francis invited us to recognize that Christians have a misguided understanding of “dominion over” the earth. He clarified that we have a responsibility for stewardship and to be protectors of Mother Earth. He wrote, “Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us. ” He said that our sister is crying out because of the harm we have caused her, once again, reminding us that Earth and all her beings are intertwined. Protecting nature becomes equivalent to protecting ourselves.
This kinship understanding of the natural world is shared by our indigenous brothers and sisters who recognize the animacy of all things and have a respectful and reciprocal relationship with the whole of creation.
Robin Wall Kimmerer, an indigenous author and scientist, advocates for developing a more intimate understanding of our relationship with the natural world. In rediscovering a relationship with the natural world, we can begin to heal ourselves and the earth. To respond to the cries of the earth and address the climate crisis at its root, we must transform our relationship with the natural world.
Pope Francis invited all people, not only Christians, to an ecological conversion that entails a comprehensive approach to healing our wounded Mother.
Ecological conversion necessitates education on environmental justice, opportunity for regular contemplation or mindfulness, and a commitment to changing consumption habits that contribute to the degradation of multiple ecologies.
There are simple ways to begin a personal transformation of your relationship with nature.
“Each person, human or no, is bound to every other in a reciprocal relationship. Just as all beings have a duty to me, I have a duty to them. If an animal gives its life to feed me, I am in turn bound to support its life. If I receive a stream’s gift of pure water, then I am responsible for returning a gift in kind. An integral part of a human’s education is to know those duties and how to perform them.”
Robin Wall Kimmerer - Braiding Sweetgrass
To begin the process of ecological conversion, I invite you to:
Reflect – Be intentional in your choices, giving attention to what you buy and consume, and its impact on the world around you.
Ask:
Is this a need or a want?
What impact will it have on the environment when it reaches the end of its lifecycle?
Does this item lift people out of poverty and nourish the earth, or does it perpetuate a cycle of harm (sweatshops, exposure to toxins, privatization of resources)?
Be Mindful – Take time to notice worms, hummingbirds, bees, trees, seasons, and the changes we are witnessing as our planet warms. This requires us to spend quiet time in nature, and we can do this by creating a “sit spot.”
Find a natural area close to your home — your backyard, a local park, etc. Sit comfortably on the ground, a log, a rock, or a chair.
Mindfully focus on your surroundings for at least 10 minutes.
Using all of your senses, gather as much information as you can about the earth and the beings that are near you.
Ask yourself the following:
What’s living here?
What’s dead here?
What creatures are present?
What supports the life that is there?
What colors do you see?
How does it smell?
Pick up some soil and feel it in your fingers. How does it feel?
This can be done daily, weekly, or monthly. Observe any changes you see and note the impact of the changing climate on this area.
Connect – Humans are social beings. We crave companionship and connection.
We can develop a more intimate relationship with Mother Earth by replacing “it” with personal pronouns (he, she, they) when speaking about plants, animals, birds, fish, and other living beings. This reflects our kinship and a deeper, more personal connection to all life on earth.
Connecting with others who share our values is another great way to start making change. Our relationship with the environment directly reflects our relationship with one another.
Join a local nature advocacy group in your area, such as the Mass Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, or Local Land Trusts.
Organize a town-wide clean-up day to pick up trash along roads or in parks.
Libraries often offer environmental education programs. Check your local library’s website for their latest offerings.
Download nature identification apps like Seek by iNaturalist or BirdNET to learn more about what is in your own backyard.
Find local outdoor mindfulness instructors who offer forest bathing experiences.
Transform – Rediscover your own climate story to inspire hope and action from your lived experience.
Think of a time when you first experienced the awe and wonder of being in nature, e.g, playing in a nearby field where you grew up, a camping trip with family or friends, or maybe you attended a summer camp. What memories of this experience in nature stand out? If you were to go back to this special place, how might the landscape have changed? Has development or the changing climate impacted this place in any way? What words of care or concern would you offer to this place? If you could go back to care for this place differently, what would you do?
What will you do to protect these sacred places moving forward?
By bringing ourselves into right relationship with the earth and all her beings, and recognizing our inherent oneness, we begin to respond to the cry of the Earth.
Colleen Mollica is an interfaith campus minister, certified mindfulness instructor, mindful outdoor guide, and adjunct faculty member at Westfield Sate University.
“Knowing that you love the earth changes you, activates you to defend and protect and celebrate. But when you feel that the earth loves you in return, that feeling transforms the relationship from a one-way street into a sacred bond.”
Robin Wall Kimmerer - Braiding Sweetgrass
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