March 6, 2023
Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilisation.
—Mahatma Gandhi
Shortly after the birth of my daughter, I picked up one of those habits that today I can’t imagine living without. For the past 12 years, I have (on most days) woken up naturally, well before the sun, and carefully slinked to the living room. With a cup of coffee on a side table, I wallow on the couch to read. These mornings are my nourishment, when I absorb, connect, and feel inspired by the many worlds that capture my imagination. It makes me realize how we have to carve out these quiet moments in our artificially busy lives. Yet when I explore that space away from others, I am never away from others.
My cats too have developed a similar habit. We have four rescued cats in our home and at least one of them jumps on the couch to visit me every morning. They mostly take turns, which allows me to connect with their different personalities. On cold days, Snowball likes to burrow under the blanket. Bungee never quite lays on my lap, but she does walk over me a few times before settling on the armrest. Clementine plops wherever she likes. Chutney just asks to go outside. I guess I can’t be greedy.
What if we were more than we thought we were?
Donna Haraway begins her book, When Species Meet, with a question that I will alter slightly to make it appropriate for my context: “Whom and what do I touch when I touch my [cat][1]Thank you Charlotte Hankin for making me aware of this. Donna Haraway refers to her dog, not her cat.?” I think about this question and another arises: Where do we begin and where do we end?
Why does this last question matter for schools and organizations, for the building of an ecological civilization? Because the infinite number of possible responses do away with separation, individual achievement, and competition. The beautiful thing is that we all respond to it and contribute together.
Where do we begin and where do we end? This is a question that itself has trouble finding its beginning and its end. Where involves the notion of space or of location. Looking for that point from which we can draw…
Footnotes
↑1 | Thank you Charlotte Hankin for making me aware of this. Donna Haraway refers to her dog, not her cat. |
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