Beautiful Complexity

Abstract

I’ve never enjoyed crowds of people, and I think I’ve exerpienced the most stimulation I ever had in my life in these two days of COP27 so far. I’ve met and heard from so many different people in the world, and I don’t know how to fit all the opinions, ideas, action, and emotions inside my introvert, homebody brain.

People aren’t the only aspect of the globe that is complex - the natural world also has a beautiful complexity. The forest is not just comprised of trees. The trees depend on the fungi, insects, birds, in order to survive and thrive.

Maybe there is beauty in the complexity. Maybe it’s okay to sit in a place of complex feelings, and feel the beauty of that as I move forward to keep learning.

Challenge:

What emotions come up when you hear the words "climate change?" Take time to recognize and sit with your feelings. Trying journaling about them, or if you are a person of faith, pray about them and bring them to God, letting Him meet you in your feelings.

Full story

When people told me COP27 would be overwhelming, I nodded and smiled. I told them, okay, I would mentally prepare for it to be overwhelming.

I had no idea what I was in for.

I’ve been up and down through so many emotions.

There are times when I’ve felt frustrated, like when I was at the US pavilion. One of the panelists was explaining that we have to conserve and protect forests. Yes, I know we have to do it. I wanted to learn how we were planning on doing that.

There are times when I’ve felt hopeful, when I look out at a crowd of people from all over the world, and think about what a sign of unity it is that we are all here to work toward solutions toward climate change.

There are times where I’ve felt despair and overwhelmed, when I think about how big this problem is, how many different aspects have to be solved, and how small and insignificant I feel in all of it.

Here are some quotes from today that I think demonstrate the complexity of emotions I’ve been feeling:

Panelist from the Pacific Islands: “We need countries to not be blind, we need loss and damage on the agenda!”

Conversation with someone from Africa (sorry I can’t remember which country) at the bus stop: “You can get emotional all you want, but if you don’t give people business incentives, at the end of the day, nothing happens”

Conversation with someone who lives on Easter Island: “I love my island, everyone else in the world is no good”

Conversation with researcher from Nigeria: “The invasive species, it’s clogging our waterways…we dredge it, but it still comes back.”

Lowell, one of the directors of the Christian Climate Observers Program, said something that struck my heart this morning.

“God will meet you in your anxiety.”

So, I’m letting myself feel this brewing storm of feelings, and inviting God into that space.

From the outside, a forest or a desert can look simple. There is one species of tree or cactus that comprises most of the nature in these landscapes.

But, if we really dive into the forest and the desert, if we spend time in their company, we realize that these landscapes are much more complex than we ever imagined. The small bugs that roam on the leaves, the birds that eat them, the fungi under the soil forming a network between tree roots to supply the tree with nutrients.

Maybe there is beauty in the complexity. Maybe it’s okay that I can’t have everything figured and planned out step by step on how climate action should take place. Maybe it’s okay to keep going, advocating, and learning along the way.