We began with what our immediate thoughts and feelings were about discussing this topic. We all have different life experiences, make different associations and sensitivities and can come to topics from different angles. The idea was to start by taking a moment to see what comes up for each of us, and by sharing those we can understand where each of us is coming from and let the conversation develop from there.
“It feels a bit hippy”.
“It reminds me of things like grounding”.
“We can’t escape the fact that we live in a closed system”.
“What do we mean by ‘the planet’? Is it the land, the air, the sea?”.
“The planet isn’t entirely closed off, it’s connected to the universe”.
“To me the planet feels like everything. It’s light and dark, work, and existence.It’s more than just a place where we live”.
“I like feeling how insignificant I am and how amazing and magnificent the world is”.
“The planet includes plants and animals”.
“I like feeling awe and wonder”.
“I think feeling connected to the planet is important but feeling that connection isn’t supported or encouraged by society”.
What gives you a feeling of connection to the planet?
“Gardening”.
“Not very much – I found it hard to make a list”.
“Bees and nature”.
“Maybe history and everything that comes before us”.
“Stillness”.
“Watching my cat just be a cat. Having another being in my life”.
“Going for walks”.
“Birds and birdsong”.
“I’m not sure I do have right here and now”.
“Wonderment. Although sometimes I feel that and feel disconnected”.
“Feeling fate or chance. Sometimes things seem like they were meant to be and I’m part of something bigger”.
“I don’t feel much of a connection.
- I don’t go out much.
- I live in a city.
- I’m not good with plants or pets.
- I like the sky and being near the sea.
- I love hearing the wind in the trees.
“I have a dog and I feel the seasons now”.
“I feel very connected to the planet”.
“Gardening:
- Seasons.
- Feel what’s going on.
- I’m trying to appreciate winter.”
“Talking to people. When you meet individuals, the world shines through them”.
“Funerals, the idea of ashes to ashes and seeing people go back to the earth”.
“Talking to horses”.
“Watching the nights change”.
“Allowing myself to feel hot and cold when seasons change”.
“I struggled to think of things as well”.
“Gardening and the cycling of materials”.
“Science, and knowing we share DNA with so many other plants and animals, how we evolved with other species and ecology”.
“Novels and films”.
“Looking at the stars”.
Does it matter if we feel connected to the planet or not?
“In terms of climate, it doesn’t matter because most of us here don’t feel connected but we still care about what’s happening. Or, it matters a lot because we all had some experiences of feeling connected”.
“Maybe, even though we don’t feel that we have a strong sense of being very connected to the planet, those of us who come here might be more connected than most people”.
“I feel like we should be connected”.
“Is it an obligation or a duty to feel the connection?”.
“It’s generally conscientious people who come to this group”.
“If there’s no connection there’ll be no consideration or care. People will just exploit, plunder or neglect the planet and not give it respect”.
“I spend time reducing my ecological footprint but having a connection to the planet feels a bit abstract”.
“Do we need to feel it?”.
“Indigenous people are thought to have a stronger connection. Is it because it’s built into their culture, religion, mythology and daily life?”.
“It’s good to be reminded of my insignificance”.
“To show our appreciation”.
“Nature is really good for us. It makes us feel better”.
“Feelings are more automatic than reasoning”.
“If we don’t have that understanding then we have a distorted view of the world, because we are deeply connected to the planet”.
“It’s difficult to prove”.
What do you think or feel at the end of this conversation?
“I’m really interested and I’m going to ask people if they feel connected to the planet”.
“I found it interesting that we all struggled a bit”.
“It was surprising that we all doubted our connection to the planet”.
“I want to think more about why I believe it’s important to feel the connection”.
“It’s made me want to work more on not being distracted by things and to notice more”.