If the world is to be healed through human efforts, I am convinced it will be by ordinary people, people whose love for this life is even greater than their fear. People who can open to the web of life that called us into being
Joanna MacyRead
Because the relationship between self and world is reciprocal, it is not a matter of first getting enlightened or saved and then acting. As we work to heal the Earth, the Earth heals us. No need to wait. As we care enough to take risks, we loosen the grip of ego and begin to come home to our true nature.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the reciprocal relationship between individuals and the world, emphasizing that our actions towards the Earth impact our own healing.
Joanna Macy conveys a profound understanding of the interconnectedness of self and the world, suggesting that personal enlightenment and action in caring for the Earth are intertwined processes. By engaging in efforts to heal the planet, we not only contribute to its well-being but also foster our own growth and self-realization, encouraging a shift from ego-driven motives to a deeper understanding of our true nature. There is an immediacy in this relationship; we don't have to wait for enlightenment before acting, as our actions themselves are a path to awakening.
Themes
SelfWorldReciprocalHealingNatureEgoAction
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech at an environmental conference to emphasize immediate action for sustainability.
More from Joanna Macy
All quotes →To be alive in this beautiful, self-organizing universe -- to participate in the dance of life with senses to perceive it, lungs that breathe it, organs that draw nourishment from it -- is a wonder beyond words.
Joanna MacyRead
It is good to realize that falling apart is not such a bad thing. Indeed, it is as essential to evolutionary and psychological transformation as the cracking of outgrown shells.
Joanna MacyRead
Confirming an intuitive sense I've always felt for the interconnectedness of all things, this doctrine has provided me ways to understand the intricate web of co-arising that links one being with all other beings, and to apprehend the reciprocities between thought and action, self and universe.
Joanna MacyRead
Out of this darkness a new world can arise, not to be constructed by our minds so much as to emerge from our dreams. Even though we cannot see clearly how it's going to turn out, we are still called to let the future into our imagination. We will never be able to build what we have not first cherished in our hearts.
Joanna MacyRead
It’s walking the razor’s edge of the sacred moment where you don’t know, you can’t count on, and comfort yourself with any sure hope. All you can know is your allegiance to life and your intention to serve it in this moment that we are given. In that sense, this radical uncertainty liberates your creativity and courage.
Joanna MacyRead
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