The word radical is too frequently and meaninglessly used in our world with little awareness of its deeper implications. Radical does not mean reform, nor does it mean making ourselves feel better or being hopeful. Radical means “going to the root” of the issue. That is, asking ourselves: What is the heart of the matter? When we ask that question in relation to the myriad crises on our planet, we discover that we are not confronted with a list of problems to be solved but rather a predicament that cannot be solved but only responded to. The newest synonym for this reality is polycrisis which occurs when crises in multiple global systems become causally entangled in ways that significantly degrade humanity’s prospects. These interacting crises produce harms greater than the sum of those the crises would produce in isolation, were their host systems not so deeply interconnected. How then do we respond consciously and compassionately to our predicament? Radical Regeneration is a manual for living into, not away from or in spite of what feels overwhelming. Living into means knowing what one’s future and the future of the planet is likely to be, yet intentionally choosing to live purposefully and passionately into it, in spite of the fear, grief, vulnerability, and uncertainty the polycrisis provokes. This amounts to a radical spiritual initiation. In terms of the environment, we have stopped using the words “climate change” and begun using “climate chaos,” instead. The scientific definition of chaos is: Behavior so unpredictable as to appear random, owing to great sensitivity to small changes and conditions. Climate chaos is now our day to day reality—as is political chaos, epidemic violence, despair, anesthetizing consumption, mental illness, addiction, and human separation in silos of escape. Nearly all of these are ultimately existential issues—literally matters of life and death. As they incessantly intrude on our so-called peace of mind, we have three options: We can ignore them as much as humanly possible; we can be sucked into a vacuum of despair and meaninglessness; or we can ask what messages are inherent in any potential hospice situation. Former death counselor and author of Die Wise, Stephen Jenkinson, writes: We are born to a dangerous time. Consider that an affliction or consider it an assignment Radical Regeneration is an exquisite doorway into the assignment that the polycrisis is asking us to take on. It is a call, an invitation, a heartfelt plea to commit to the inner work and external Earth and human stewardship that our global predicament is demanding of us, and to answer the call fiercely and compassionately. Nothing in the book guarantees a positive outcome. The only certainty is the unalterable uncertainty of everything at this moment. However, the issue is not how things turns out, but how we turn up. In 2016 we wrote a small book called Return to Joy in which we asserted that joy is the ultimate nature of reality and that it is distinct from the happiness that Western culture seems insatiably in search of. In 2017 we went on to write Savage Grace: Living Resiliently in The Dark Night of The Globe, followed by Saving Animals From Ourselves, and culminating in a separate book called Radical Regeneration which then became the title of our 2022 book containing all four of the separate books. In our 2022 compilation of our separate books, we emphasize:
In summary, the more we commit to inner work and service in the world, the less terrified of our predicament we are likely to be. We need both compassionate action and spiritual practices in order to accept the assignment we are being asked to embrace. Without action, our spirituality becomes lifeless and bears no authentic fruit. Without practices, all our doing becomes an egoistic agenda leading to burnout, even if it looks selfless. We call this marriage Sacred Activism, and Radical Regeneration guides the reader in joining these two. Radical Regeneration offers a profound path beyond both hope and fear. We invite you to join us in exploring it. “A Night of Grief and Mystery,” Stephen Jenkinson Project, http://deathtalkproject.com/a-night-of-grief-mystery-portland-oct-20th/ |
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