{"id":297,"date":"2021-11-06T23:12:57","date_gmt":"2021-11-07T06:12:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/kchomlak\/?p=297"},"modified":"2021-11-14T11:08:18","modified_gmt":"2021-11-14T19:08:18","slug":"a-journey-of-transformation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webspace.royalroads.ca\/kchomlak\/a-journey-of-transformation\/","title":{"rendered":"A Journey of Transformation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

My journey towards climate action leadership is taking me on an emotional path of managing climate grief, deep thinking and long hours at my desk. There is no simple solution to the climate crisis and incremental progress is no longer enough. A major shift is required to move us away from our current capitalistic, dominate-the-earth worldview. We need to move towards a new, feminist world paradigm: one of equity, justice, gratitude, intersectionality, collaboration and reconciliation. This shift sounds big because it is. It is transformative adaptation (Lonsdale, et al., 2015) and it requires us as emerging leaders in this space to also transform. Our western epistemology focused on intellect will not be enough to help us navigate this change. In order to move towards our new world paradigm, we must maintain a holistic view of health, be open to new ways of knowing, and support one another.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a class, we recently reflected on our climate science course and the summer of 2021. The IPCC had just released its Sixth Assessment Repor<\/a>t. The facts were depressing. In all plausible scenarios, the Paris Target<\/a> will be exceeded in 10 to 15 years.* Canada is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world, and three times as fast in the Arctic (Bush, 2010). Even in the most hopeful scenarios, the biodiversity losses are staggering (IPES, 2019). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, an unprecedented heat dome covered BC and the prairies. Wildfires burned out of control, many in close proximity to communities familiar to us. The Town of Lytton, BC reached an unbelievable 49.6 degrees before wildfire destroyed 90% of its infrastructure and displaced over 200 residents (Schmunk, R., 2021). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lytton Wildfire June 30, 2021 (Lindsay, B. and Dickson, C., 2021)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was frightening and eye-opening. The smoke from the various fires spread all the way to our colleagues in Ontario, Quebec and Labrador. Climate change had \u201chit home,\u201d and we shared our feelings of grief, confusion, overwhelm and despair. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We wrestled with the urgency of climate action versus the apparent business-as-usual government approach. What should we do as emerging climate leaders? And how can we maintain hope?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, we must stay healthy. We cannot be effective influencers without a strong body, mind, heart and spirit. The medicine wheel diagram reviews the \u201cgifts of each of the directions\u201d (Bell, n.d., p.1) informed by Cree Elder Micheal Thrasher. It helps us develop ourselves in a holistic way, transmitting learning through all of these personal aspects. As we balance our wheel, we will settle into our own awareness. This will bring peace, confidence and joy to our climate action work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nicole Bell\u2019s construction of the Anishinaabe Medicine Wheel (n.d.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I started this program, I thought Indigneous ways of knowing referred only to traditional ecological knowledge based on observed changes to plants, animals, water and other natural features. I have now come to realize it is more than that. Indigenous ways of knowing also include a belief and trust in spirit: an ultimate connection with nature. I am open to this new way of sensing and have started on this path by spending time outdoors to notice things I have not noticed before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The blueness of the autumn sky from my front yard is stunning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I know my classmates are also on a transformative journey, because their blogs are evidence of this noticing. We have urged each other to take risks with our writing. It is a gift to be in this program, with supportive instructors and classmates. We must continue to encourage one other to be open to transformative change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I listened to Woman Stands Shining, Pat McCabe, speak about Humanity\u2019s Homecoming (for the wild, 2021), her feminist power shone through. Her spirit guides have enabled her to frame a vision for the future, one where \u201chuman beings can participate in paradigms in which we can become beings capable of causing life to thrive.\u201d This gave me hope. I can see my own power evolving as I learn to tap into spirit and articulate my own compelling vision for the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our transformative journey is not simple, but if we stay balanced, open to new ways of knowing, and support one another, our new world paradigm is possible. Many others also believe in it. In Glasgow yesterday, 100,000 people joined the march for climate justice. Greta Thunberg posted, \u201cWow. This is what people power looks like\u201d (Schaafsma, 2021). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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