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Belonging and Butterflies in Times of Breakdown
Navigating the space between stories puts us up for an immense challenge. We must seek the others to find hope and support when that which we love falls away, rediscover how to grieve for what we lose and praise what is lost, and learn how to remain alive in the face of death. To not resist being wholly taken by awe at the birth of spring, because... See more
Niels Devisscher • Belonging and Butterflies in Times of Breakdown
My intention is not to convince you which stories are good and which are bad. Rather, I want to show that when one story dominates, it risks exterminating others or doesn’t do justice to the reality it presumes to narrate. Storytelling, like ecosystems, needs diversity to thrive. And since stories have a direct impact on reality — to the point that
... See moreNiels Devisscher • Belonging and Butterflies in Times of Breakdown
love taught me that balancing the tension between unfolding my individuality and fusing with the greater whole is the sacred work of being alive.
Emerge • Belonging and Butterflies in Times of Breakdown
When stories break down, they can leave us in an empty space. We have withdrawn into our cocoons and find ourselves in a world in between worlds. Not fully in one or the other. Simultaneously leaving and arriving. We may lose our sense of meaning or feel disconnected from our work. We don’t want to continue with business as usual. The values we... See more
Emerge • Belonging and Butterflies in Times of Breakdown
“Our individual psychological doom manifests collectively as a universal ecological calamity. Both are interwoven with one another. Both are symptoms of a fundamental misunderstanding of ourselves and of reality. In a world of ruined aliveness, it is impossible to be alive oneself. Both inner aliveness and the aliveness of the natural world are... See more
Emerge • Belonging and Butterflies in Times of Breakdown
From Matter and Desire, by biologist and philosopher Andreas Weber
Humans are a story-telling species. The stories we tell ourselves and each other guide how we live in and relate to the world. They are the social technology through which we make sense of the world and give meaning to our lived experiences. Like the mycelium that runs below our feet, stories are everywhere, threading and reshaping our reality,... See more
Niels Devisscher • Belonging and Butterflies in Times of Breakdown
when one story dominates, it risks exterminating others or doesn’t do justice to the reality it presumes to narrate. Storytelling, like ecosystems, needs diversity to thrive. And since stories have a direct impact on reality — to the point that we often mistake one for the other — we need to tell stories that enliven, provide solace, and inspire... See more
Niels Devisscher • Belonging and Butterflies in Times of Breakdown
We’re in dire need of a new cultural story to live by. Not to negate the old, as Sophie Strand writes, but to “compost” the stories that no longer serve us so they can become fertile ground from which a new story may emerge. A story that doesn’t tell us we’re separate from but deeply interconnected with all living beings. One that recognizes that... See more
Emerge • Belonging and Butterflies in Times of Breakdown
The space between stories is an invitation to sit with mystery and the uncertainty it holds.