The second People’s Climate March was on Saturday, April 29, 2017. I wanted to be in Washington D.C. to join with fellow elders on behalf of the planet, but I was unable to walk in solidarity with 200,000 in our nation’s capitol. Having missed participating in the incomparable energy and power of the Women’s March on January 21, 2017, I made a declaration that I had to walk somewhere! I was being called to, literally, put my feet on the ground in active participation.
I located one of the 370 sister marches taking place across the country, and decided to join the Savannah March, which ventured through Forsyth Park and the historic squares of the city. Although fully prepared to go it alone, I preferred to associate with a group, which reflected my passionate love of nature and my desire to be a good steward of the planet.
The day before the Climate March, I remembered a serendipitous meeting at Whole Foods with the Secretary of the Sierra Club Coastal Group. In October, 2016, Stacey, her mother Beverly, my husband, Martin, and I were all in search of internet service in the wake of Hurricane Matthew, which caused extreme wind damage and flooding along the low-country coastline of Savannah. After a couple of hours of conversation, we left with phone and email contacts, and the promise of reuniting.
That reunion happened at the People’s Climate March in Savannah, Georgia, with my newfound friends, and many others whom I had the opportunity to meet for the first time. All generations were represented from babies to 80s, and although the crowd was several hundred instead of thousands, we walked in unity for the health and conservation of our planet.
During the march, Stacey and I spoke about the importance of electing officials, who will speak for the environment and represent those of us who want to protect our water, air and the health of our children and grandchildren. Although I don’t intend to run for office myself, (at least I don’t think so), I committed to support Stacey in her campaign, if she runs. My intuition tells me she just may do it!
The polarized political climate, which we are experiencing in the United States and which is prevalent in many parts of the world, makes it increasingly important to find a way to speak to each other about climate change and how it effects us all. The health of the planet and of all living things is a matter which impacts everyone, regardless of one’s political party, and in spite of governmental regulation or deregulation. So who do we look to for the compassion, determination, commitment and love to have productive dialogue that breaks through the hard shell of bias and speaks to the heart?
In From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Profound New Vision of Growing Older, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi wrote, “By serving as tribal elders in the public sphere, (elders) infuse political life with a broad vision guided by a concern for global ecological health and social justice. As stewards of the community and the environment, elders also serve as guides on our journey beyond individualism into a more planetary sense of identity.”
Reb Zalman also told the story of Leon Shenandoah, a Native American spiritual elder, who once said in an address to the United Nations General Assembly, “Spiritual consciousness is the highest form of politics. Every human being has a sacred duty to protect the welfare of our Mother Earth.”
From the time I first learned about Sage-ing, more than ten years ago, I have been drawn to the aspect of the Sage-ing work which focuses on the Emerging Elder… the Gifts we have to share… Elders as Healers of Family, Community and our precious Planet Earth. As I continue to follow the path to elderhood, Reb Zalman’s inspiring words give me hope; “The modern world is going through an unprecedented shift in premises and practices that will reweave humanity into the fabric of nature as its consciousness and guardian. This ecological sensibility inspires us to make political and consumer decisions with seven generations in mind. As elders make their inner riches available to the world, they can help midwife this process and safeguard the survival of the planet.” Although these words were written 22 years ago, they remain relevant and visionary as we face the challenges of our world today.
As I approach 67 years of life experience, I consider the priorities, which are foremost in my life…my family and friends, my community relationships, expressing my creativity, and doing what I can to preserve and protect the earth and her creatures. Connecting with my local and regional environmental community is the first of many actions I intend to take to have a lasting, positive effect on the health of the planet. I look forward to the journey. As an emerging elder, I recognize the imperative to not only “talk the talk”, but to “walk the walk”.
