What I Want to Want for the Future

Frankly #101

In today’s Frankly, I imagine that I’m looking back from an unspecified point in the future (even from beyond his lifetime), and ponder the core things I would want during my time on Earth. Breaking from what our culture steers us to seek out, I examine what a bedrock of human experiences might include — the things in our lives that keep us grounded and experiencing life to the fullest extent.

While naming some of the things I value in my own life, from experiencing full spectrum love to having a purpose, I encourage you to reflect on what you might “want to want” for your respective (or hypothetical future) lives, divorced from desires tied to an unsustainable period of massive energy consumption: When stripped away from cultural inertia and sunk cost, what are the things we really want out of a life well lived?

I also reflect on some important questions about what factors go into these desires. Which of the things we want in the full human experience are dependent on society or external factors? Which are about internal values, and are durable through time and changing material conditions? These are the questions we must begin with in order to have real conversations about the future.

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In case you missed it…

This week, I was joined by

John Seed

and Skye Cielita Flor to explore the power of rituals and community for processing grief and transforming it into a deeper connection with ourselves, each other, and the natural world. We discussed the primary influences of their work, including ‘The Work That Reconnects,’ a framework developed by Joanna Macy and others, as well as the philosophy of Deep Ecology, founded by Arne Naess. Most importantly, John and Skye shared their experience with deepening their own emotional capacity and embodiment of ecological values, and how they’ve helped others do the same.

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