Lichen on a fallen tree in the forest.
And my partner asked: ‘Did anyone of you follow the Make It Happen Stories marathon?’ I half-turned and saw my son blush. That’s stress, too: keeping secrets. My son cleared his throat. ‘I sent in three stories. The feedback was pretty OK.’ My other children gaped and my youngest asked: ‘Pretty OK?’ My son blushed more deeply. ‘Several thousand comments.’ I just love it when our children celebrate each other’s success. I remember wondering about this. But then I realised that my partner and I are always excited about the other’s success. And I’m glad that our children choose to do the same. ‘What are your stories about?’ my daughter asked. ‘My favourite story is called Breaking the Barriers. It’s set on a different planet like most Make it Happen Stories. It’s because on a different planet you can really focus on what you want to think about. Breaking the barriers is about people who live on a planet where everything goes down the drain.’ ‘Like on planet Earth?’ our youngest teased. My son nodded. ‘Yes, but it has only three countries and not as many unresolved traumata from the past. However, you have five groups of people: people who refuse to see that the way they live destroys their lives and the planet. You have people who see but believe that nothing can be done, and they continue with business as usual. You have people who live less harmful lives but are so frustrated and burned out that they need all their energy to get through the day. You have people who embrace exploitation and destruction, blame much of it on people they regard as unworthy and believe that there is only one true way to live and act. And finally, you have people who fight for a world without destruction.’ /1
‘Sounds pretty earthy to me,’ my daughter said. My son smiled. ‘A group of people went into seclusion, three decades before the events of the story. When they resurface, they see the world with the eyes of outsiders, clearly. And they soon identify what they need to do first.’ ‘Kick the asses of all exploiters and destructors?’ our youngest said. Our son smiled. ‘Nope. Unite those who say that they care about the future of their planet.’ I admit I swallowed, and I swallowed again when my son elaborated how people who had been active for people and planet, including journalists, had not just contributed to the abysmal state of the planet but were so divided, ‘drenched in conceit, self-righteousness, arrogance, lacking the heart, courage and wisdom to recognise their allies, that they failed to unite, and that they failed to elevate and support each other. The destructors,’ my son concluded, ‘could only get this strong because those who cared were too frustrated and too self-righteous to reflect on their actions and to seek out each other. That’s why the secludes decide to find a way to bring together the people who said they cared for planet and people. Because once they are united, they can rethink and reshape the world and everything else will fall into place.’ By now, I’ve read my son’s story, blushing more than ones, and spending some hours afterwards with contacting people I had either neglected or ignored for years. You can read this and other marathon stories on the Hub’s Campaign Square and in the Hub’s library. The stories marathon is not just a showcase of what millions of minds are capable of if they focus on creating visions for the future, it’s also a showcase of giving a stage to a great variety of voices and minds. It is lived empowerment.
// MAKE IT HAPPEN STORIES
‘The destructors,’ my son concluded, ‘could only get this strong because those who cared were too frustrated and too self-righteous to reflect on their actions and to seek out each other.’
#mihs #strongertogether #unite #lichen #OurFuture #media #ThisIsOurWorld #photography
