TOWARDS A FLOURISHING FUTURE
THE FIRST GATHERING OF ITS KIND IN LONDON
In September 2019, Flourishing Diversity launched by creating a unique series of opportunities to listen, dialogue and participate with 30 Indigenous representatives from across the world.
Wisdom traditions hold many of the answers to our most pressing problems concerning the climate crisis and environmental protection. It’s time to consider them at the global-scale.
In this week of unification, a number of powerful collaborations and ideas were birthed. Important discussions helped us to see what we can all do to better live in harmony with the delicate systems of this planet, our only home.
WHY NOW?
Human activity has profoundly altered our climate and the environment.
Modern Lifestyles have caused many of us to lose touch with the natural world, disconnecting us from our planet, the other species with which we share it, and each other.
We are only beginning to understand what this means for our collective future; there are many unknowns. Given the likely scale of the impact, ensuring a collective habitable future demands practices that will foster, prize, support, defend and generate diversity at every possible level.
Communities of people living in Indigenous ‘wisdom traditions’ across the world maintain these connections.
They offer us alternatives we desperately need to embrace. Their traditions still care for and enhance the flourishing of diversity - conserving the multi-species relationships on which planetary well-being depends.
ANCIENT WISDOM ADDRESSING CURRENT CHALLENGES
Read about all the indigenous representatives who took part in the 2019 Series here
“We need to look at what we eat and drink. Where it comes from, and where its going. How we throw it away. This is a human problem now. Often you eat and drink and don’t know where its coming from. Many people today are eating modified food. We are eating poison and killing ourselves. Poisoning our minds, our blood, our body. Attacked by something man created, telling us we will be happier. Medicine is inside each plant, it’s natural, it’s native, it’s health, it’s intelligence.”
Benki Piyãko, Ashaninka people, Brazil
“How do we heal? We begin with truth telling. There has to be an atmosphere where we sit down, look at our collective history and say ‘this is what happened to us, this is what’s been done and this is what we have to consciously invest energy into healing.”
“I am here as an african american woman, as most people don’t consider us indigenous of anywhere. I am indigenous to this planet.”
Luisah Teish, Ifa/Orisha tradition of West Africa
“We invite the world to reflect on this: If we love ourselves from our own essence, we can love each element of the earth, its waters, forests, animals and plants.”
“The Mamos invite you to search and to find them at the point of Perfect Love. From there we will visualize together the future we want for humanity and for Mother Earth.”
Mamos, Arhuaco people, Colombia
“Quit expecting someone else to do it. Quit expecting governments that are colonial constructs to do it. Decolonise your mind. Decolonise your spirit. Decolonise your nation and your sacred space you occupy.”
“Who speaks for the silent nations of the plants, the butterflies, the water, the air? I can hear them. I listen, I interpret.”
Casey Camp Horinek, Ponca Nation, Oklahoma U.S.
OUR SUPPORTERS
Karen Roth
