by Joanna Macy  

We are often in grief.

With all that’s being inflicted on the natural world

and the social fabric of our lives together,

there’s fear too, anger as well.

These responses are natural and healthy.

If we disown them, we cripple our vitality and intelligence.

So we bow to them instead.

When pain for the world arises within you, recognize it and pause. Pause and breathe, as if making room for it, as if letting that pain flow through your heart. Realize that you are capable of suffering with your world. Suffering-with is the literal meaning of compassion. It is proof positive of our interconnectedness.