Present mind, open mind, wild mind: the story of NGP

by Jen Jackson

We, the Next Generation, know that the environment is not a special interest. We know it as a universal imperative, the basis of our very being. It is something for which the collective should collaborate rather than wage selective wars.

However, due to the urgency of environmental issues – and their dwindling resonance among a populace more concerned with immediate economic impacts on life and livelihood – the conservation model has become increasingly antagonistic and polarized: us-versus-them, now-or-never, all-or-nothing. Such is the mentality of war…one we cannot afford to lose.

But what would happen if we didn’t look at conservation as a conflict? What if we approached it as an opportunity – for communication, community, communion? What if we recognized that there are myriad paths to healing the planet, and that understanding the worth of each is crucial?

As Rumi wrote, “There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.” Why should we fight over where and how we express this reverence?

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