00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:05,600
>> Peter: Opportunity multiplier, a different view, a wider
2
00:00:05,680 --> 00:00:07,440
view, a longer view.
3
00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:10,560
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: Don't look at what's falling apart, he's saying.
4
00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:14,480
Yes, that is true. This is falling apart and I
5
00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:16,000
still need a wider view.
6
00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:20,120
>> Oliver: Everything we see right now, today in the world is
7
00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:22,080
a product of somebody else's imagination.
8
00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:25,930
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: Once something has seized our imagination, it
9
00:00:25,930 --> 00:00:28,570
starts to shape our choices, how we spend our
10
00:00:28,570 --> 00:00:31,810
time, where we put our energy, and the type of
11
00:00:31,810 --> 00:00:33,410
future we are building.
12
00:00:34,690 --> 00:00:38,290
>> Peterson Toscano: Welcome back to the second half of our marathon
13
00:00:38,530 --> 00:00:42,370
Season four Reflection. We got so many voicemails
14
00:00:42,450 --> 00:00:45,130
from folks and we've had so much to share that we
15
00:00:45,130 --> 00:00:47,890
decided to break it up into two. How are you two
16
00:00:47,890 --> 00:00:49,650
feeling? You ready for the rest of the marathon?
17
00:00:49,890 --> 00:00:53,330
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: Absolutely. Love running welcome to Climate
18
00:00:53,330 --> 00:00:58,030
Changed, a podcast from the BTS Center Foreign.
19
00:01:02,350 --> 00:01:05,270
I'm Ophelia Hukini, the BTS Center's Strategic
20
00:01:05,270 --> 00:01:06,270
Communications Director.
21
00:01:06,350 --> 00:01:09,630
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: I'm Nicole deroff, Associate Director at the BTS
22
00:01:09,630 --> 00:01:10,190
Center.
23
00:01:10,190 --> 00:01:13,310
>> Peterson Toscano: And I'm Peterson Toscano, producer of the Climate
24
00:01:13,310 --> 00:01:17,070
Changed podcast. And today we are closing season
25
00:01:17,070 --> 00:01:19,150
four with a Reflection episode.
26
00:01:19,470 --> 00:01:22,350
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: And it's absolutely fine. If you haven't heard any
27
00:01:22,670 --> 00:01:26,030
or all of season four yet, you'll hear the themes
28
00:01:26,030 --> 00:01:28,390
and the questions and some of the voices that made
29
00:01:28,390 --> 00:01:30,220
this season so, so, so rich.
30
00:01:30,940 --> 00:01:33,700
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: Each episode of climate change begins with a
31
00:01:33,700 --> 00:01:37,780
grounding, and for this season ending Reflection
32
00:01:37,780 --> 00:01:41,900
episode, our grounding is a voice message, and
33
00:01:41,900 --> 00:01:45,340
this one is from a dear friend of the BTS Center.
34
00:01:45,660 --> 00:01:48,860
She might win the award of most programs attended
35
00:01:49,020 --> 00:01:51,300
and we actually do track this, but we've never
36
00:01:51,300 --> 00:01:53,420
given an award. But anyway, it might be Susan.
37
00:01:53,980 --> 00:01:57,900
So Susan from Baton Rouge responded to the
38
00:01:57,900 --> 00:02:01,780
disaster response episode by remembering Hurricane
39
00:02:01,780 --> 00:02:05,580
Katrina and the role of Louisiana's churches in
40
00:02:05,580 --> 00:02:06,100
that moment.
41
00:02:07,620 --> 00:02:10,980
>> Susan: Before her wind and water ever arrived, Hurricane
42
00:02:10,980 --> 00:02:15,180
Katrina blew into Baton Rouge downtown, spinning
43
00:02:15,180 --> 00:02:18,420
off plans, crises and challenges for corporate,
44
00:02:18,420 --> 00:02:21,900
cultural and nonprofit institutions alike and for
45
00:02:21,900 --> 00:02:24,900
the people who run them in the city's heart.
46
00:02:25,380 --> 00:02:28,580
Creative responses and collaborations between
47
00:02:28,740 --> 00:02:33,380
institutions within downtown and far beyond led
48
00:02:33,380 --> 00:02:37,660
the capital city's human response to Louisiana's
49
00:02:37,660 --> 00:02:41,540
greatest natural disaster. Even a month after
50
00:02:41,700 --> 00:02:46,940
hurricane in August 2005, the River center still
51
00:02:46,940 --> 00:02:51,400
has 4,200 people still living there. It was the
52
00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:55,400
first churches who first responded. And so into
53
00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:59,200
Katrina we saw what was happening with First
54
00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:03,440
Baptist, First Methodist, First Presbyterian, St.
55
00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:07,520
James of His School, and St. Joseph Catholic. They
56
00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:11,400
were meeting to list their assets and coordinate
57
00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:15,280
their efforts so as to complement rather than
58
00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:19,250
duplicate each other's activities. It was pretty
59
00:03:19,250 --> 00:03:21,970
amazing of what developed and the ways in which
60
00:03:21,970 --> 00:03:24,850
they took care of families and all of those
61
00:03:24,850 --> 00:03:29,170
churches and their affiliated congregations were
62
00:03:29,170 --> 00:03:33,210
able to respond to the thousands of people who had
63
00:03:33,210 --> 00:03:36,970
now become residents of Baton rouge. In the 50
64
00:03:37,050 --> 00:03:40,410
something years I've lived here, I still see it as
65
00:03:40,410 --> 00:03:43,940
Baton Rouge's finest hour. Thank you for this
66
00:03:43,940 --> 00:03:45,620
opportunity to respond.
67
00:03:51,380 --> 00:03:53,860
>> Peterson Toscano: Susan gives us such a concrete picture of
68
00:03:53,860 --> 00:03:58,020
adaptation. Not adaptation as an abstract policy
69
00:03:58,180 --> 00:04:02,500
word, but as churches listing their assets,
70
00:04:02,580 --> 00:04:05,740
coordinating efforts try not to duplicate each
71
00:04:05,740 --> 00:04:07,460
other's work. And you know, coming from Baton
72
00:04:07,460 --> 00:04:09,460
Rouge, she knows about disasters.
73
00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:13,880
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: That phrase listing our assets is so important.
74
00:04:14,680 --> 00:04:18,280
What do we already have? What? Kitchens, vans,
75
00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:21,960
phone trees, volunteers, relationships and local
76
00:04:21,960 --> 00:04:23,800
knowledge is already here.
77
00:04:24,230 --> 00:04:27,470
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: And then how do we organize and map those assets
78
00:04:27,470 --> 00:04:30,790
and gifts before disaster arrives, rather than
79
00:04:30,870 --> 00:04:34,190
waiting until people are already in crisis? And
80
00:04:34,190 --> 00:04:36,900
I'll add also that there's something important
81
00:04:36,980 --> 00:04:39,740
about knowing that sometimes the gifts that you
82
00:04:39,740 --> 00:04:43,100
have may not show up on a inventory. There are
83
00:04:43,100 --> 00:04:45,820
things that you have that may not seem valuable to
84
00:04:45,820 --> 00:04:48,740
you, but in this realm can be priceless to someone
85
00:04:48,740 --> 00:04:49,140
else.
86
00:04:50,020 --> 00:04:52,660
>> Peterson Toscano: And I've learned this as a volunteer with the Red
87
00:04:52,660 --> 00:04:55,100
Cross, that sometimes, like when you're at a
88
00:04:55,100 --> 00:04:57,740
emergency shelter, people just need somebody to
89
00:04:57,740 --> 00:05:01,630
talk to. Like that's a skill, listening or play
90
00:05:01,630 --> 00:05:03,630
with the kids and, you know, put together a puppet
91
00:05:03,630 --> 00:05:06,790
show or something. Like when people are scared and
92
00:05:07,270 --> 00:05:10,430
bored and uncertain and unhoused, they need all
93
00:05:10,430 --> 00:05:12,710
kinds of people and not just folks who know how to
94
00:05:12,710 --> 00:05:15,870
do disaster stuff. I have to say how much I
95
00:05:15,870 --> 00:05:18,830
enjoyed listening to you, Nicole, when you talked
96
00:05:18,830 --> 00:05:21,270
about making a public apology to John Bear
97
00:05:21,270 --> 00:05:21,790
Mitchell.
98
00:05:21,790 --> 00:05:24,790
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: That was powerful, Peterson. We've had a
99
00:05:24,870 --> 00:05:27,310
relationship, for many years now, working on this
100
00:05:27,310 --> 00:05:30,390
podcast and other things together. I really
101
00:05:30,390 --> 00:05:34,130
treasure it. Truly. I trust you in this really
102
00:05:34,370 --> 00:05:37,570
weird way that I don't trust anyone else because
103
00:05:37,650 --> 00:05:42,130
you take these conversations and put them out for
104
00:05:42,210 --> 00:05:45,690
public consumption. Somehow I totally trust you
105
00:05:45,690 --> 00:05:49,090
with that. I actually don't want to listen. In
106
00:05:49,090 --> 00:05:51,890
between, as you're doing your editing and your
107
00:05:51,890 --> 00:05:55,650
producing, we have these conversations. And then
108
00:05:55,810 --> 00:05:58,410
just so you all know listeners, I listen when you
109
00:05:58,410 --> 00:06:01,210
listen. I listen when it comes out, when it pops
110
00:06:01,210 --> 00:06:04,660
into my feed. So anyway, the trust is quite
111
00:06:04,660 --> 00:06:05,460
unbelievable.
112
00:06:06,100 --> 00:06:09,420
I want to reflect on apologizing to Jon Bear
113
00:06:09,420 --> 00:06:12,100
Mitchell. I usually take some notes about things
114
00:06:12,100 --> 00:06:15,300
I'd love to talk about in a particular episode as
115
00:06:15,300 --> 00:06:17,100
I'm getting ready and y'.
116
00:06:17,100 --> 00:06:17,220
>> Peterson Toscano: All.
117
00:06:17,220 --> 00:06:19,900
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: That was not on my list. That moment was not on my
118
00:06:19,900 --> 00:06:22,380
list of things I thought I might talk about. But
119
00:06:22,380 --> 00:06:25,300
the conversation with Autumn drew it out. I
120
00:06:25,300 --> 00:06:27,900
listened to that episode Walking on the beach when
121
00:06:27,900 --> 00:06:31,730
it was released I experienced over again just the
122
00:06:31,730 --> 00:06:34,530
way in which sharing that story raised my heart
123
00:06:34,530 --> 00:06:38,010
rate and truly was such a vulnerable act. And then
124
00:06:38,010 --> 00:06:41,090
to put it in a podcast for anyone to hear, oh my
125
00:06:41,090 --> 00:06:44,410
gosh, Autumn is the best. She's just the best.
126
00:06:44,730 --> 00:06:47,570
Listening to the way that she held that and drew
127
00:06:47,570 --> 00:06:50,810
out, I was learning from my own story. I mean,
128
00:06:50,810 --> 00:06:53,130
it's like what the best therapist might do. Like
129
00:06:53,130 --> 00:06:55,610
I'm sharing the story, but somehow like, she's
130
00:06:56,090 --> 00:06:58,970
helping me see so much more in it. I'm deeply
131
00:06:58,970 --> 00:07:02,370
grateful to Autumn for that one moment and for so
132
00:07:02,370 --> 00:07:05,970
many along this season. I should share that. After
133
00:07:05,970 --> 00:07:08,250
that episode came out, I did share it with Jon
134
00:07:08,250 --> 00:07:11,450
Bear Mitchell and said, I pray that I reflected
135
00:07:11,450 --> 00:07:14,490
this story in a way that honors you and our
136
00:07:14,730 --> 00:07:18,770
ongoing collegiality. He shared back with me that
137
00:07:18,770 --> 00:07:21,210
listening to that episode led him to listen to
138
00:07:21,210 --> 00:07:24,090
several more episodes. So that was really
139
00:07:24,090 --> 00:07:27,200
beautiful, this full circle relationality. All
140
00:07:27,200 --> 00:07:29,640
right, thank you. Thank you, Nicole.
141
00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:32,360
>> Peterson Toscano: This season began with the theme of world
142
00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:35,000
building, but it just kept moving through. Very
143
00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:38,480
practical at times and very deeply spiritual
144
00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:42,519
questions. So you have been part of the process
145
00:07:42,519 --> 00:07:45,200
from the beginning. What are you carrying from
146
00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:45,880
season four?
147
00:07:46,520 --> 00:07:49,200
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: So I think I want to start reflecting on that
148
00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:53,240
episode around natural disasters and Katie Mears.
149
00:07:53,920 --> 00:07:56,520
The thing that comes to me on the regular is the
150
00:07:56,520 --> 00:07:59,920
way in which Katie talked about our little grinchy
151
00:07:59,920 --> 00:08:03,560
hearts having the possibility of growing a size
152
00:08:03,560 --> 00:08:11,080
bigger. I m do think that our like little grinchy
153
00:08:11,080 --> 00:08:13,840
hearts do grow. When we can do something together
154
00:08:14,080 --> 00:08:17,280
that's outside of our comfort zone. At the best,
155
00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:21,220
that's what disasters can be. It's literally
156
00:08:21,300 --> 00:08:24,740
dissolving the boundaries of what is known. Right?
157
00:08:24,820 --> 00:08:25,300
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: Yeah.
158
00:08:25,380 --> 00:08:27,980
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: It doesn't mean we're going to hold on to doing
159
00:08:27,980 --> 00:08:31,620
that specific thing every day forever. But if we
160
00:08:31,620 --> 00:08:34,460
like let our hearts grow a size and our
161
00:08:34,460 --> 00:08:37,340
imaginations grow a size, we can do a different
162
00:08:37,340 --> 00:08:40,460
thing that is part of that transformation. We have
163
00:08:40,460 --> 00:08:44,180
a muscle to try a new thing and be changed by it.
164
00:08:45,630 --> 00:08:49,310
Even in tough situations. How might we approach
165
00:08:49,310 --> 00:08:53,470
this in a way that grows our heart a size larger?
166
00:08:53,790 --> 00:08:56,150
Actually, that happens all the time. It happens
167
00:08:56,150 --> 00:09:00,430
all the time in all kinds of situations of loss
168
00:09:00,670 --> 00:09:04,230
and struggle. Two years ago, my mother in law
169
00:09:04,230 --> 00:09:07,470
passed. There are little reminders, seasonal
170
00:09:07,470 --> 00:09:11,470
reminders that make me reflect on that ending. It
171
00:09:11,470 --> 00:09:14,950
was incredibly hard and the family grew incredibly
172
00:09:14,950 --> 00:09:18,270
close. I think our hearts got bigger for going
173
00:09:18,270 --> 00:09:21,870
through it. Now that's a loss. Many of our
174
00:09:21,870 --> 00:09:23,830
listeners will have had losses of significant
175
00:09:23,990 --> 00:09:27,750
loved ones. So to imagine the way in which loss
176
00:09:27,830 --> 00:09:31,550
can grow our hearts Larger, maybe even it's just a
177
00:09:31,550 --> 00:09:34,230
day to day kind of struggle observing something
178
00:09:34,230 --> 00:09:36,790
with a neighbor. It can grow our hearts a little
179
00:09:36,790 --> 00:09:40,620
larger. Especially, especially, especially when we
180
00:09:40,620 --> 00:09:43,900
get to live into being the sorts of humans I
181
00:09:43,900 --> 00:09:47,020
believe we were created to be, which is social,
182
00:09:47,180 --> 00:09:50,660
interconnected humans that do things with one
183
00:09:50,660 --> 00:09:54,820
another, reach out and hold a hand. And I think so
184
00:09:54,820 --> 00:09:58,940
often about the things that we're up against that
185
00:09:58,940 --> 00:10:03,380
separate us, that need us to actively practice
186
00:10:03,380 --> 00:10:05,740
that reaching out and that holding a hand.
187
00:10:06,500 --> 00:10:09,340
Peterson, you made this comment about our species
188
00:10:09,340 --> 00:10:12,860
being at war with the natural world. It makes me
189
00:10:12,860 --> 00:10:15,490
think about how two things are true, or maybe, a
190
00:10:15,490 --> 00:10:17,730
lot more than a lot more than two. But here's the
191
00:10:17,730 --> 00:10:21,250
two. In my neighborhood, I drive by a house where
192
00:10:21,250 --> 00:10:25,410
a child is very committed to the turtles that have
193
00:10:25,410 --> 00:10:28,610
decided to nest right next to the road on their
194
00:10:28,610 --> 00:10:31,770
property. They have put up all these signs, turtle
195
00:10:31,770 --> 00:10:34,560
crossing, slow down. Yeah, that's the human
196
00:10:34,560 --> 00:10:38,080
species too. And then I think about stories of
197
00:10:38,240 --> 00:10:42,160
young kids who take firecrackers and blow up
198
00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:45,440
frogs. And it's probably the same age of young
199
00:10:45,440 --> 00:10:48,000
person. One is setting up signs to protect turtles
200
00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:51,400
and the other is thinking, it's fun to blow up a
201
00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:54,720
creature. How is this possible? That this is both
202
00:10:54,800 --> 00:10:58,640
our species, But I just want to keep leaning into
203
00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:02,940
it is part of our species to care so, so much that
204
00:11:02,940 --> 00:11:05,860
we would set up signs and make sure the turtles
205
00:11:05,860 --> 00:11:07,700
can get to the other side safely.
206
00:11:08,420 --> 00:11:11,420
Aura's quote that we heard in the episode with
207
00:11:11,420 --> 00:11:14,570
Aura, she says she experiences people who are
208
00:11:14,570 --> 00:11:19,410
hungry for culture. Culture before it was eaten up
209
00:11:19,410 --> 00:11:23,690
by capitalism just resonates like, so strongly for
210
00:11:23,690 --> 00:11:27,420
me. This eaten up by capitalism way in which our,
211
00:11:27,380 --> 00:11:32,280
religions and our cultures have been tied up in
212
00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:35,440
something. I've been in a course recently where we
213
00:11:35,440 --> 00:11:37,800
kind of make a distinction between imperial
214
00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:42,920
Christianity and what we might be inspired by in
215
00:11:42,920 --> 00:11:45,560
the stories of Jesus. Why is there such a
216
00:11:45,560 --> 00:11:49,160
difference? I mean, something has seriously been
217
00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:53,600
eaten up. I have been just pursuing this question.
218
00:11:54,330 --> 00:11:56,090
One of the ways in which we've been doing that
219
00:11:56,090 --> 00:11:59,450
here in Maine is by asking some of our indigenous
220
00:11:59,450 --> 00:12:02,090
brothers and sisters to share with us their
221
00:12:02,090 --> 00:12:06,610
perspectives. Recently we had a Passamaquoddy
222
00:12:06,610 --> 00:12:10,289
language keeper named Dwayne Thoma join us for a
223
00:12:10,289 --> 00:12:13,330
program where he shared an indigenous perspective
224
00:12:13,330 --> 00:12:16,970
on the doctrine of discovery, which is capitalism
225
00:12:16,970 --> 00:12:20,650
eating up Christianity, capitalism and colonialism
226
00:12:20,970 --> 00:12:24,740
and the violent impulse eating up Christianity and
227
00:12:24,740 --> 00:12:27,700
causing so much harm. Duane, at the end of his
228
00:12:27,700 --> 00:12:31,060
presentation, he said, you know, I am not looking
229
00:12:31,140 --> 00:12:35,420
for left wing or right wing. He was referring to
230
00:12:35,420 --> 00:12:39,060
Politics. But he said, I need a bird with two
231
00:12:39,140 --> 00:12:40,180
strong wings.
232
00:12:40,630 --> 00:12:43,510
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: And I've been thinking about that bird imagery. We
233
00:12:43,510 --> 00:12:47,030
need a bird with two strong wings. We need it to
234
00:12:47,030 --> 00:12:50,430
have a large heart built through honesty and truth
235
00:12:50,430 --> 00:12:53,590
telling and suffering and loss and a, growing,
236
00:12:53,590 --> 00:12:56,910
growing heart. We need birds with heads high. When
237
00:12:56,910 --> 00:12:58,670
we hear these stories of the doctrine of
238
00:12:58,670 --> 00:13:00,990
discovery, they could easily leave us with our
239
00:13:00,990 --> 00:13:04,070
head tucked over in shame. But we have to find
240
00:13:04,070 --> 00:13:06,870
ways for our hearts to help us hold our heads high
241
00:13:07,190 --> 00:13:09,470
and then to find those other birds that want to
242
00:13:09,470 --> 00:13:13,270
form a V with us and to fly in unison together.
243
00:13:13,990 --> 00:13:17,190
That is the metaphor that I think is the culture
244
00:13:17,350 --> 00:13:21,380
of the visionary future that I want, want to lean
245
00:13:21,380 --> 00:13:25,460
into, that I long for. No more intergalactic blah
246
00:13:25,460 --> 00:13:29,540
over here. As you said, Peterson, this is us being
247
00:13:29,540 --> 00:13:31,300
ourselves in the best possible way.
248
00:13:31,620 --> 00:13:34,660
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: Nicole, what you said about Rabbi Ora's quote
249
00:13:34,660 --> 00:13:37,620
about how people are hungry for culture before it
250
00:13:37,620 --> 00:13:40,220
was eaten up by capitalism. Oh, that got me
251
00:13:40,220 --> 00:13:44,140
thinking also about Tory's insistence on futures
252
00:13:44,140 --> 00:13:46,260
that are worth living for, futures that are worth
253
00:13:46,260 --> 00:13:50,670
fighting for to evade the intergalactic blah that
254
00:13:50,670 --> 00:13:53,950
Peterson has introduced us to. It makes me think
255
00:13:53,950 --> 00:13:57,950
about, like, who in those stories gets to decide,
256
00:13:57,950 --> 00:14:01,390
like, what culture looks like and our acceptance
257
00:14:01,390 --> 00:14:03,350
that there are just some things that will have to
258
00:14:03,350 --> 00:14:06,390
get sacrificed, or some people or some cultures or
259
00:14:06,870 --> 00:14:09,910
some traditions and rituals that will just have to
260
00:14:09,910 --> 00:14:13,150
be sacrificed in the name of the preservation of
261
00:14:13,150 --> 00:14:15,420
the great intergalactic blah blah. There's an
262
00:14:15,420 --> 00:14:18,860
insidious thread beneath that that says the things
263
00:14:18,860 --> 00:14:23,540
that make us so vibrant and lovely and diverse,
264
00:14:23,540 --> 00:14:26,220
those are going to have to go in order for us to
265
00:14:26,220 --> 00:14:28,380
maintain some kind of future civilization.
266
00:14:28,940 --> 00:14:29,500
>> Speaker F: Boo.
267
00:14:30,380 --> 00:14:34,260
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: Yeah. It has not held true, like, read our history
268
00:14:34,260 --> 00:14:37,180
books or at least those that we can actually trust
269
00:14:37,180 --> 00:14:39,580
to tell the truth that just hasn't held true.
270
00:14:39,660 --> 00:14:42,140
I also want to, however, like, give us as a
271
00:14:42,140 --> 00:14:44,500
species a little bit of grace. Because I think
272
00:14:44,500 --> 00:14:47,120
that in hearing the wisdom of our guest, yes,
273
00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:49,000
there can be this sensation, or at least there was
274
00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:51,880
for me, of, dang it, like, whatever separation I
275
00:14:51,880 --> 00:14:54,240
feel from the more than human world and from my
276
00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:56,800
neighbors and community members and those who I
277
00:14:56,800 --> 00:14:59,520
see across the body of the bird to the other wing
278
00:14:59,520 --> 00:15:01,840
on like, my separation from those, like, that's my
279
00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:04,680
fault and I've done something terribly wrong to
280
00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:09,120
evoke this. And if listener you're feeling that, I
281
00:15:09,120 --> 00:15:11,400
invite you to have a little grace for yourself.
282
00:15:11,400 --> 00:15:14,600
Because the separation that we're experiencing is
283
00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:17,070
by design, to some degree. This is the
284
00:15:17,070 --> 00:15:20,150
condemnation that the powerful and the wealthy
285
00:15:20,230 --> 00:15:24,670
have concocted in order to make it easy to exploit
286
00:15:24,670 --> 00:15:27,990
and extract from land, from the more than human
287
00:15:27,990 --> 00:15:30,870
world and from humans. I gain a lot of my
288
00:15:30,870 --> 00:15:33,870
spiritual imagination these days also from what
289
00:15:33,870 --> 00:15:36,750
the more than human world is up to and has been up
290
00:15:36,750 --> 00:15:40,950
to. Not in a way that says I want to project human
291
00:15:40,950 --> 00:15:44,510
experiences and feelings onto these other species,
292
00:15:44,510 --> 00:15:46,740
but but in a sense that we're not that different
293
00:15:46,980 --> 00:15:50,260
and we're not that separate. For us to participate
294
00:15:50,260 --> 00:15:54,060
in the same economies of reciprocity or communal
295
00:15:54,060 --> 00:15:56,900
life the way that other life forms do is pretty
296
00:15:56,900 --> 00:15:59,860
natural. Recently I learned that there are times
297
00:15:59,860 --> 00:16:03,740
when trees are cut down and you see a stump and
298
00:16:03,740 --> 00:16:07,380
you imagine this tree is dead. In the meantime, it
299
00:16:07,380 --> 00:16:11,160
is being fed by other species and other trees
300
00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:14,000
around it to a point where something that looks
301
00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:16,800
like a tree can come out of that stump again. It
302
00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:18,920
doesn't have the ability on its own anymore as a
303
00:16:18,920 --> 00:16:22,240
stump to photosynthesize, to nourish itself, but
304
00:16:22,240 --> 00:16:25,480
it is still receiving nourishment from its
305
00:16:25,560 --> 00:16:29,680
neighbors because of perhaps reciprocity, maybe a
306
00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:32,120
sense that the world is better with this neighbor
307
00:16:32,120 --> 00:16:34,920
in it. Maybe out of something like love, I don't
308
00:16:34,920 --> 00:16:35,160
know.
309
00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:35,960
>> Peterson Toscano: Beautiful.
310
00:16:36,290 --> 00:16:38,490
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: I do want to get to another voicemail. Our next
311
00:16:38,490 --> 00:16:41,890
voicemail comes from Michael, who responded to a
312
00:16:41,890 --> 00:16:44,690
theme that has appeared in the BTS Center's work
313
00:16:44,690 --> 00:16:48,090
before. It came again really powerfully through
314
00:16:48,090 --> 00:16:51,090
this season, too. What Michael is referring to.
315
00:16:51,250 --> 00:16:53,330
Peterson, you actually brought this up earlier,
316
00:16:53,490 --> 00:16:56,530
the call to be a good ancestor. Let's listen to
317
00:16:56,530 --> 00:16:57,330
this voicemail.
318
00:16:58,770 --> 00:17:02,450
>> Michael: This topic was perhaps first discussed in a BTS
319
00:17:02,530 --> 00:17:05,790
center online event with Sherry Mitchell, an
320
00:17:05,790 --> 00:17:09,310
Indigenous author and activist from the Penobscot
321
00:17:09,310 --> 00:17:13,150
Nation, and then again this season by Norma Wong,
322
00:17:13,230 --> 00:17:16,510
a Zen master. Both of these teachers spoke about
323
00:17:16,510 --> 00:17:20,070
the concept of being good ancestors, which struck
324
00:17:20,070 --> 00:17:23,230
me as a profound concept when I first heard it,
325
00:17:23,310 --> 00:17:26,990
and the impact of it still resonates with me as it
326
00:17:26,990 --> 00:17:29,630
sunk in. I thought that our Christian traditions
327
00:17:29,950 --> 00:17:32,730
didn't hold this idea. I couldn't recall hearing
328
00:17:32,730 --> 00:17:35,650
it in any sermons, but I was wrong. Using my
329
00:17:35,650 --> 00:17:38,890
computer's AI tool, I was reminded that the Bible
330
00:17:38,890 --> 00:17:41,690
does talk about God's covenant being for many
331
00:17:41,690 --> 00:17:45,250
generations and such, but being good ancestors
332
00:17:45,330 --> 00:17:48,490
seems to be a much more important, more fully
333
00:17:48,490 --> 00:17:51,970
developed, and more clearly articulated belief
334
00:17:52,130 --> 00:17:54,530
amongst Indigenous people. Think about how
335
00:17:54,530 --> 00:17:57,090
differently we would behave if we held this
336
00:17:57,090 --> 00:17:59,800
concept in our minds, the need to be good
337
00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:02,400
ancestors to those who will follow us. We're not
338
00:18:02,400 --> 00:18:04,960
separated from those who preceded us or those who
339
00:18:04,960 --> 00:18:08,200
will follow. I think Sherry and Norma are saying
340
00:18:08,440 --> 00:18:11,400
that we are deeply connected with many peoples
341
00:18:11,400 --> 00:18:14,360
across time. Norma asserts that we are connected
342
00:18:14,360 --> 00:18:17,600
with all creatures and the entire universe across
343
00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:20,640
the vastness of time. Sherry described time as
344
00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:22,960
more of a circle than a line, and we have
345
00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:25,950
responsibilities to them all. Don't let this idea
346
00:18:25,950 --> 00:18:30,310
pass as just a catchphrase. Stop and dwell on it.
347
00:18:32,790 --> 00:18:35,110
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: That was fun to listen to for me, especially
348
00:18:35,590 --> 00:18:40,190
because Michael is my father. And Peterson, maybe
349
00:18:40,190 --> 00:18:42,270
other than you, is a person who has been
350
00:18:42,270 --> 00:18:44,910
thoroughly impacted by climate change. He is a
351
00:18:44,910 --> 00:18:48,630
very devoted listener to this podcast. There was a
352
00:18:48,630 --> 00:18:50,670
day that he said, you know, I always thought of
353
00:18:50,670 --> 00:18:53,830
you as smart, but when did you become wise? Which
354
00:18:53,830 --> 00:18:56,470
is, like, an amazing thing to hear from a parent.
355
00:18:56,470 --> 00:18:57,470
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
356
00:18:57,470 --> 00:18:58,270
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: What a gift.
357
00:18:58,270 --> 00:19:02,230
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: But this message really touched me because my dad
358
00:19:02,230 --> 00:19:04,830
is often the one who comes home from church and
359
00:19:04,830 --> 00:19:08,590
says, okay, we were asked to slow down and reflect
360
00:19:08,590 --> 00:19:11,750
again. Really? I want to get to work. I want the M
361
00:19:11,910 --> 00:19:15,070
sermon to be about a piece of action. So here's my
362
00:19:15,070 --> 00:19:19,470
father taking in the wisdom of climate change and
363
00:19:19,470 --> 00:19:22,590
saying, don't just sit with this as a catchphrase.
364
00:19:22,750 --> 00:19:24,730
Really stop and dwell on it.
365
00:19:24,730 --> 00:19:28,290
>> Peterson Toscano: Yeah. And that's a really good reminder for this
366
00:19:28,290 --> 00:19:30,690
whole season. I mean, world building. It's not
367
00:19:30,690 --> 00:19:33,370
just a clever theme. Right. That we came up with.
368
00:19:33,370 --> 00:19:36,130
It really developed throughout the season, but
369
00:19:36,130 --> 00:19:39,170
what it really is is a way of asking what we owe
370
00:19:39,170 --> 00:19:41,970
to those who came before us, those who are here
371
00:19:41,970 --> 00:19:44,250
now and those who are yet to be born.
372
00:19:44,650 --> 00:19:44,800
>> Speaker F: Yeah.
373
00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:46,940
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: it's asking us to stretch our imagination across
374
00:19:47,100 --> 00:19:50,220
time, too. So not just what do I want right now,
375
00:19:50,220 --> 00:19:54,090
but what kind of ancestor am I becoming right now?
376
00:19:54,490 --> 00:19:56,690
>> Peterson Toscano: Well, I'm loving these voicemails, and I'm so glad
377
00:19:56,690 --> 00:19:59,690
we received so many. We also heard from Katie, who
378
00:19:59,690 --> 00:20:02,250
shared something we always hope for with this
379
00:20:02,250 --> 00:20:04,770
podcast, that these conversations do not stay
380
00:20:04,770 --> 00:20:07,009
abstract, and we really try to make them
381
00:20:07,009 --> 00:20:09,450
practical. So they move into congregations,
382
00:20:09,610 --> 00:20:11,850
committees, preaching, literature, relationships,
383
00:20:11,850 --> 00:20:13,730
and decisions. So thank you, Katie, for this
384
00:20:13,730 --> 00:20:14,490
voicemail.
385
00:20:15,930 --> 00:20:19,120
>> Katie: Hey, Autumn. hi, Nicole. Thank you so much for all
386
00:20:19,120 --> 00:20:22,780
of the incredible conversations and incredible
387
00:20:22,780 --> 00:20:26,950
guests, this season, and also share two ways that
388
00:20:26,950 --> 00:20:30,390
this podcast has impacted me over this past year.
389
00:20:30,710 --> 00:20:34,460
So, the church community that I attend, has been
390
00:20:34,460 --> 00:20:36,940
working on solar panels. I'm on their, like,
391
00:20:36,940 --> 00:20:40,380
sustainability team in this push towards the vote.
392
00:20:40,380 --> 00:20:42,820
I was doing a lot of writing, liturgy, and
393
00:20:42,820 --> 00:20:45,900
preaching about kinship and sustainability, our
394
00:20:45,900 --> 00:20:48,580
connection to creation, pouring in eco theology
395
00:20:48,660 --> 00:20:52,230
resources, really hyping up this investment that I
396
00:20:52,230 --> 00:20:55,270
see as so aligned with our values. The solar panel
397
00:20:55,270 --> 00:20:57,510
vote passed, which was awesome. But in
398
00:20:57,510 --> 00:21:00,980
conversations with people in church and hearing a
399
00:21:00,980 --> 00:21:04,860
lot of their anxieties and fears about the future,
400
00:21:05,340 --> 00:21:08,460
particularly concerns about money and financial
401
00:21:08,540 --> 00:21:12,060
investments, I was imagining that there might be
402
00:21:12,300 --> 00:21:15,580
different concerns. I think just the ways that
403
00:21:15,580 --> 00:21:19,900
this podcast has helped to build my muscles of
404
00:21:19,900 --> 00:21:23,600
imagination and hope so strong, and it also has
405
00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:26,760
encouraged me that I need to support others in,
406
00:21:26,760 --> 00:21:29,520
you know, building those muscles, too. Solar
407
00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:32,610
panels are so clearly a, dream seed early on in my
408
00:21:32,610 --> 00:21:35,530
timeline that helps to create the clean, green,
409
00:21:35,530 --> 00:21:38,610
and just future that I envision for my community.
410
00:21:39,170 --> 00:21:42,370
This podcast help gives me tools to help others
411
00:21:42,450 --> 00:21:46,210
see that vision and expand their imaginations as
412
00:21:46,210 --> 00:21:49,860
well, that a better future is possible and we
413
00:21:49,860 --> 00:21:53,140
don't need to freeze or have these emotions lead
414
00:21:53,140 --> 00:21:55,740
to inaction, but that we can work together and
415
00:21:55,820 --> 00:21:58,620
have some really exciting things happen. So, yay,
416
00:21:58,620 --> 00:22:01,420
solar panels. The other thing that I wanted to
417
00:22:01,420 --> 00:22:04,220
share is that I really love the storytelling
418
00:22:04,220 --> 00:22:08,420
episodes from Convocation. I listened to Tyler's
419
00:22:08,420 --> 00:22:11,620
story with my grandmother. I call her Nonnie, and
420
00:22:11,620 --> 00:22:14,940
she has Parkinson's, which makes it harder to get
421
00:22:14,940 --> 00:22:18,870
outside and be outdoors these days. Listening to
422
00:22:19,030 --> 00:22:21,830
that really immersive soundscape with the waves
423
00:22:21,910 --> 00:22:26,310
and loon calls was really nostalgic. Beautiful way
424
00:22:26,310 --> 00:22:29,510
for us to connect and remember times together
425
00:22:29,510 --> 00:22:32,460
outside. So, thank you for creating spaces that
426
00:22:32,460 --> 00:22:35,900
cultivate hope and conversation and connection and
427
00:22:35,900 --> 00:22:38,500
imagination. I'm grateful for both of you.
428
00:22:40,900 --> 00:22:44,140
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: Katie gives us such a beautiful example of world
429
00:22:44,140 --> 00:22:48,500
building in practical terms. In practice, a solar
430
00:22:48,500 --> 00:22:52,140
panel vote is practical. It's applied, it's
431
00:22:52,140 --> 00:22:54,700
financial, it's logistical, and it's also
432
00:22:54,700 --> 00:22:58,140
spiritual. It takes a community to imagine itself
433
00:22:58,220 --> 00:22:59,340
behaving differently.
434
00:22:59,610 --> 00:23:02,170
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: Our executive director, Alan, often says that a
435
00:23:02,170 --> 00:23:04,370
budget is a moral document, and that's what that
436
00:23:04,370 --> 00:23:08,050
reminds me of. Yeah, I love, love, love that Katie
437
00:23:08,050 --> 00:23:10,210
calls solar panels a dream seed.
438
00:23:10,550 --> 00:23:10,870
>> Peterson Toscano: Yes.
439
00:23:11,030 --> 00:23:14,590
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: You know who else uses this is Tory Stevens in the
440
00:23:14,590 --> 00:23:18,270
grist world. They invite us to nurture these dream
441
00:23:18,270 --> 00:23:18,790
seeds.
442
00:23:19,270 --> 00:23:23,230
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: So Katie came to a workshop with Tory. So I'm
443
00:23:23,230 --> 00:23:26,070
pretty sure all these amazing interconnections.
444
00:23:26,469 --> 00:23:28,360
I'm, pretty sure Katie's using that word because
445
00:23:28,360 --> 00:23:29,760
Tory introduced it to her.
446
00:23:29,920 --> 00:23:29,970
>> Speaker F: Nice.
447
00:23:29,970 --> 00:23:32,250
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: great. Let all of these seeds. Dream seeds.
448
00:23:32,410 --> 00:23:32,890
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: Yes.
449
00:23:33,370 --> 00:23:36,690
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: So this dream seed phrase, I think, just carries a
450
00:23:36,690 --> 00:23:38,730
lot of this season. Right. So it's not just
451
00:23:38,730 --> 00:23:41,210
technologies and projects, and we're really
452
00:23:41,210 --> 00:23:43,450
talking about seeds of a future that people can
453
00:23:43,450 --> 00:23:46,650
begin to see and work toward together.
454
00:23:47,210 --> 00:23:50,010
>> Peterson Toscano: And Katie's also reminding us that the podcast
455
00:23:50,010 --> 00:23:53,690
isn't just about our head and ideas. It can become
456
00:23:54,170 --> 00:23:57,421
liturgy and preaching. A, conversation with a
457
00:23:57,421 --> 00:23:59,741
grandmother. You know, it's a stepping off point.
458
00:23:59,981 --> 00:24:01,941
It can be so much more. And that's what I loved
459
00:24:01,941 --> 00:24:04,181
about this season. I don't know, there were
460
00:24:04,181 --> 00:24:06,021
moments that I felt, particularly with the
461
00:24:06,021 --> 00:24:08,821
grounding exercises, that it was like being taken
462
00:24:08,821 --> 00:24:11,781
away and allowed to just kind of detach from all
463
00:24:11,781 --> 00:24:15,441
the stuff and experience something sacred,
464
00:24:15,441 --> 00:24:18,081
something grounded, that I found myself talking
465
00:24:18,081 --> 00:24:19,241
about later in the day.
466
00:24:19,481 --> 00:24:22,881
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: All right, this next voicemail comes from Peter in
467
00:24:22,881 --> 00:24:25,761
Littleton, New Hampshire. Peter's responding to
468
00:24:25,761 --> 00:24:28,640
the conversation that Autumn and I had about Katie
469
00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:32,281
Mears and disaster response, and especially to the
470
00:24:32,441 --> 00:24:35,161
moment in that conversation where we talk about
471
00:24:35,321 --> 00:24:38,711
how climate change can not only be a threat
472
00:24:38,791 --> 00:24:42,711
multiplier, but also an opportunity multiplier.
473
00:24:44,471 --> 00:24:46,511
>> Peter: I just wanted to call and say how much I
474
00:24:46,511 --> 00:24:50,511
appreciated the conversation between Autumn and
475
00:24:50,511 --> 00:24:54,951
Nicole about Katie Mears. What really struck me is
476
00:24:55,111 --> 00:24:58,071
how much I need driving up and down the road,
477
00:24:58,151 --> 00:25:00,711
which is when I tend to listen to climate change,
478
00:25:01,031 --> 00:25:05,231
to hear words of encouragement and to hear things
479
00:25:05,311 --> 00:25:10,641
like opportunity multiplier. A different view, a,
480
00:25:10,641 --> 00:25:14,911
ah, wider view, a longer view. I just know in my
481
00:25:14,911 --> 00:25:18,591
life, I know a lot of ways that it's easy to turn
482
00:25:18,671 --> 00:25:22,271
to what we don't have, what's falling apart, what
483
00:25:22,271 --> 00:25:26,351
is not going as we want it to, which is also true.
484
00:25:26,511 --> 00:25:30,431
And it's all the more reason why I need to see the
485
00:25:30,841 --> 00:25:34,361
challenges of today also as opportunities for
486
00:25:34,361 --> 00:25:37,401
change, for coming together, for new ways of being
487
00:25:37,401 --> 00:25:42,281
and wider ways of looking. So thank you for what
488
00:25:42,281 --> 00:25:45,241
you're doing and for the difference that it makes
489
00:25:45,241 --> 00:25:48,681
in my everyday life. So grateful. Thanks.
490
00:25:50,601 --> 00:25:53,651
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: I really appreciate Peter's honesty in that. That,
491
00:25:53,611 --> 00:25:55,981
he doesn't say, don't look at what's falling
492
00:25:55,981 --> 00:25:59,941
apart. He's saying, yes, that is true. This is
493
00:25:59,941 --> 00:26:02,941
falling apart. And I still need a wider view.
494
00:26:03,501 --> 00:26:06,021
>> Peterson Toscano: And I'm loving yet another connection here because
495
00:26:06,021 --> 00:26:09,581
the first time I heard that phrase, how it's a
496
00:26:09,581 --> 00:26:11,741
threat multiplier, but also an opportunity
497
00:26:11,741 --> 00:26:14,861
multiplier, was Dr. Natasha DeJarnette. So I knew
498
00:26:14,861 --> 00:26:16,941
before the BTS center when I was working at
499
00:26:16,941 --> 00:26:20,461
Citizens Climate Lobby, and she said that publicly
500
00:26:20,461 --> 00:26:23,781
and said it on the podcast that I did for them. So
501
00:26:23,781 --> 00:26:27,221
I just like that that phrase is alive. I don't
502
00:26:27,221 --> 00:26:29,621
know if he heard it from her, but kind of all
503
00:26:29,621 --> 00:26:30,661
coming together there.
504
00:26:31,061 --> 00:26:34,101
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: And Peter and Natasha are both board members of
505
00:26:34,101 --> 00:26:37,101
the BTS center, so maybe this is all becoming a
506
00:26:37,101 --> 00:26:39,781
little too, like, internal circle. But it is
507
00:26:39,781 --> 00:26:43,501
amazing the way that these ideas flow among and
508
00:26:43,501 --> 00:26:44,261
between us.
509
00:26:44,581 --> 00:26:47,661
>> Peterson Toscano: Yeah. And how we, like, encourage and influence
510
00:26:47,661 --> 00:26:50,661
and inspire each other. Cross pollination.
511
00:26:50,821 --> 00:26:53,141
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: Yeah. It's the work of our relationship building
512
00:26:53,301 --> 00:26:56,771
and it's the work of this podcast to offer people
513
00:26:57,251 --> 00:27:00,771
a longer view while they are doing the very
514
00:27:00,771 --> 00:27:04,041
ordinary things that make up a, life. My podcast
515
00:27:04,041 --> 00:27:07,281
listening is when I'm driving somewhere to pick up
516
00:27:07,281 --> 00:27:10,040
my son. It's when I'm folding laundry, it's when
517
00:27:10,040 --> 00:27:12,521
I'm washing dishes, it's when I'm walking the
518
00:27:12,521 --> 00:27:17,561
dogs. Having these deep big perspectives while
519
00:27:17,561 --> 00:27:19,921
doing the day to day is sort of what it's all
520
00:27:19,921 --> 00:27:20,201
about.
521
00:27:20,751 --> 00:27:23,551
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: Our next voicemail comes from Oliver. Oliver is
522
00:27:23,551 --> 00:27:26,031
responding to conversations about imagination,
523
00:27:26,751 --> 00:27:29,471
including the conversation with Tor Stevens about
524
00:27:29,471 --> 00:27:30,431
Thrutopia.
525
00:27:32,111 --> 00:27:35,031
>> Oliver: It reminded me of Joanna Macy's work on
526
00:27:35,031 --> 00:27:37,711
imagination. I just finished doing a book club
527
00:27:37,711 --> 00:27:40,191
with my local interfaith council where we read
528
00:27:40,191 --> 00:27:43,191
Maci's book, Active Hope. Maci like the
529
00:27:43,191 --> 00:27:45,511
conversation you all had. She talks about how
530
00:27:45,511 --> 00:27:48,961
important it is to imagine a better world. She
531
00:27:48,961 --> 00:27:52,321
challenged us to look at the world we see around
532
00:27:52,321 --> 00:27:55,601
us and consider that everything we see right now,
533
00:27:55,601 --> 00:27:59,001
today in the world is a product of somebody else's
534
00:27:59,001 --> 00:28:01,641
imagination. She challenged us to think about the
535
00:28:01,641 --> 00:28:04,720
world we want to see that's better. And to trust
536
00:28:04,720 --> 00:28:07,681
that when we imagine it, it unlocks hope and
537
00:28:07,681 --> 00:28:10,281
motivation to work for that world and work for the
538
00:28:10,281 --> 00:28:13,921
change that we want to see. I work with Ignatian
539
00:28:13,921 --> 00:28:15,841
spirituality. I'm a retreat director and a
540
00:28:15,841 --> 00:28:17,731
spiritual director. And we often talk about the
541
00:28:17,731 --> 00:28:20,751
importance of imagination as a spirit practice.
542
00:28:21,071 --> 00:28:24,111
Listening to Autumn and Nicole's conversation on
543
00:28:24,431 --> 00:28:27,111
daily practices and imagination reminded me of
544
00:28:27,111 --> 00:28:30,391
this prayer of Joseph Whelan that circulates a lot
545
00:28:30,391 --> 00:28:32,511
in Ignatian circles. So I'll leave you with this.
546
00:28:33,151 --> 00:28:35,471
What you are in love with, what seizes your
547
00:28:35,471 --> 00:28:39,471
imagination will affect everything. It will decide
548
00:28:39,631 --> 00:28:40,391
what will get you
549
00:28:40,391 --> 00:28:42,191
>> Oliver: out of bed in the morning, what
550
00:28:42,191 --> 00:28:45,191
>> Oliver: you do with your evenings, how you spend your
551
00:28:45,191 --> 00:28:49,381
weekends, what you read, whom you know, and what
552
00:28:49,381 --> 00:28:52,821
breaks your heart, what amazes you with joy and
553
00:28:52,821 --> 00:28:55,861
gratitude. Thank you so much for the work you're
554
00:28:55,861 --> 00:28:57,741
doing and keep up the great work. Bye bye.
555
00:28:59,261 --> 00:29:03,301
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: That question, what seizes your imagination? Feels
556
00:29:03,301 --> 00:29:06,061
like one of the deepest questions of this season.
557
00:29:06,541 --> 00:29:09,341
Because once something has seized our imagination,
558
00:29:09,981 --> 00:29:12,951
it starts to shape our choices. How we spend our
559
00:29:12,951 --> 00:29:16,231
time, where we put our energy, and the type of
560
00:29:16,391 --> 00:29:18,471
future we are building today.
561
00:29:19,271 --> 00:29:21,951
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: That feels like the right place to gather up the
562
00:29:21,951 --> 00:29:22,791
season's themes.
563
00:29:23,751 --> 00:29:26,951
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: Before we move into next steps, we want to name
564
00:29:27,271 --> 00:29:30,311
some of the themes that kept surfacing across the
565
00:29:30,311 --> 00:29:30,631
season.
566
00:29:31,031 --> 00:29:34,191
>> Peterson Toscano: Yeah, let's do it round robin style. So for me,
567
00:29:34,191 --> 00:29:37,151
one of them adaptation, not only as infrastructure
568
00:29:37,151 --> 00:29:39,831
but as spiritual and communal practice.
569
00:29:40,641 --> 00:29:41,011
>> Speaker C: Okay.
570
00:29:41,011 --> 00:29:45,171
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: for me, imagination, not as an escape, but as
571
00:29:45,171 --> 00:29:45,971
responsibility.
572
00:29:47,011 --> 00:29:51,411
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: Grief and honesty in that grief and solidarity.
573
00:29:51,571 --> 00:29:53,331
Community in that grief.
574
00:29:53,811 --> 00:29:58,571
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: Ancestors, the more than human world as kin and
575
00:29:58,571 --> 00:30:01,811
teacher and neighbor and participant in our lives
576
00:30:01,891 --> 00:30:04,531
and us in their spiritual leadership.
577
00:30:05,091 --> 00:30:08,991
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: Wise and creative individuals who know how to
578
00:30:08,991 --> 00:30:11,311
cultivate honest and caring communities.
579
00:30:11,791 --> 00:30:13,551
>> Peterson Toscano: Yeah, and you're listening right now and we're
580
00:30:13,551 --> 00:30:15,631
aware of you. Thank you for what you do.
581
00:30:15,631 --> 00:30:16,111
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: Yeah.
582
00:30:16,271 --> 00:30:18,751
>> Peterson Toscano: And that may be one of the clearest invitations of
583
00:30:18,751 --> 00:30:22,431
season four to become communities that can tell
584
00:30:22,431 --> 00:30:25,511
the truth, feel what is real, imagine what is
585
00:30:25,511 --> 00:30:28,111
possible, and practice what comes next.
586
00:30:36,291 --> 00:30:39,011
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: As always, we want to close with some next steps.
587
00:30:39,331 --> 00:30:42,731
So this time the invitation is simple. We would
588
00:30:42,731 --> 00:30:45,171
love for you to share this season.
589
00:30:45,731 --> 00:30:49,491
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: If this episode or any of the episodes from season
590
00:30:49,491 --> 00:30:53,611
four made you think of someone, please share the
591
00:30:53,611 --> 00:30:57,691
episode with them. A personal note from you is the
592
00:30:57,691 --> 00:31:00,851
most powerful way for your friend, colleague or
593
00:31:00,851 --> 00:31:03,491
family member to discover this podcast.
594
00:31:03,811 --> 00:31:06,571
>> Peterson Toscano: You can also host a listening party and this can
595
00:31:06,571 --> 00:31:11,011
be in person or online. Choose an episode, gather
596
00:31:11,011 --> 00:31:13,491
a few people from your congregation, family,
597
00:31:13,571 --> 00:31:16,011
community group, you know, whatever, and just
598
00:31:16,011 --> 00:31:16,691
listen together.
599
00:31:17,091 --> 00:31:20,611
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: Each episode comes with a discussion guide so you
600
00:31:20,611 --> 00:31:22,971
don't need to create your own curriculum. You can
601
00:31:22,971 --> 00:31:25,571
use the questions, the activities, the suggested
602
00:31:25,571 --> 00:31:29,041
next steps to help your group reflect and respond.
603
00:31:29,521 --> 00:31:32,001
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: Some other ideas. You can put an episode in a
604
00:31:32,001 --> 00:31:35,281
church bulletin or a newsletter or community email
605
00:31:35,281 --> 00:31:38,241
or Google group. You can share a link with a
606
00:31:38,241 --> 00:31:41,321
clergy colleague or lay leader, a teacher, an
607
00:31:41,321 --> 00:31:43,921
artist, an organizer, someone who's just trying to
608
00:31:43,921 --> 00:31:45,041
make sense of this moment.
609
00:31:45,441 --> 00:31:47,801
>> Peterson Toscano: There's also people looking for this like they
610
00:31:47,801 --> 00:31:49,841
don't know what they're looking for because they
611
00:31:49,841 --> 00:31:52,411
don't know it exists. And you can help them by
612
00:31:52,411 --> 00:31:54,971
posting a link to an episode in a Reddit
613
00:31:54,971 --> 00:31:58,891
discussion. A Slack community Discord server,
614
00:31:59,211 --> 00:32:01,731
which is a funny thing. Discord. We, we just set
615
00:32:01,731 --> 00:32:04,891
up a Quaker discord group, which Quakers really
616
00:32:04,891 --> 00:32:07,611
shouldn't have. Discord. No, we really had to
617
00:32:07,611 --> 00:32:09,651
explain to some of the Quakers, it's like, no, it
618
00:32:09,651 --> 00:32:12,851
is not actual discord, but, you know, but like a
619
00:32:12,851 --> 00:32:15,131
Facebook group, you know, there are people who are
620
00:32:15,131 --> 00:32:17,391
looking for this. How will they know unless, you
621
00:32:17,391 --> 00:32:19,851
tell them? and so wherever people are talking
622
00:32:19,851 --> 00:32:22,931
about climate or faith grief community, it doesn't
623
00:32:22,931 --> 00:32:24,611
have to be just about climate because as you know
624
00:32:24,611 --> 00:32:27,571
from listening, this encompasses so much of life.
625
00:32:27,731 --> 00:32:31,251
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: And don't forget the videos. You can find full
626
00:32:31,251 --> 00:32:34,371
length video episodes, short clips and bonus
627
00:32:34,371 --> 00:32:37,171
material on the BTS Center's YouTube page.
628
00:32:37,891 --> 00:32:40,371
Consider playing a short video during a Ah, class.
629
00:32:40,531 --> 00:32:43,571
Or in a worship service, a meeting or community
630
00:32:43,571 --> 00:32:44,131
gathering.
631
00:32:44,701 --> 00:32:47,501
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: And this hot tip goes out to everyone who has ever
632
00:32:47,501 --> 00:32:50,541
texted me a podcast episode in the past with no
633
00:32:50,541 --> 00:32:54,781
context. When you share, tell people why not just
634
00:32:54,941 --> 00:32:59,021
this or here's a podcast. But this conversation
635
00:32:59,021 --> 00:33:01,941
helped me think differently about adaptation or
636
00:33:01,941 --> 00:33:05,541
imagination, or how it takes being a neighbor to
637
00:33:05,541 --> 00:33:07,621
have neighborhoods. Or this episode gave me
638
00:33:07,621 --> 00:33:11,041
language for climate grief. Or this guest helped
639
00:33:11,041 --> 00:33:13,281
me to imagine the future in a totally new way.
640
00:33:13,361 --> 00:33:15,121
>> Peterson Toscano: Yeah, you need to listen to Ophelia because
641
00:33:15,121 --> 00:33:17,561
Ophelia knows what she's talking about. She has
642
00:33:17,561 --> 00:33:20,521
done such a brilliant job this season. It's been
643
00:33:20,521 --> 00:33:23,321
such a joy working with you, Ophelia. and you
644
00:33:23,321 --> 00:33:26,201
know, just knowing that this great work that we're
645
00:33:26,201 --> 00:33:29,001
doing is getting out there, seeing those clips pop
646
00:33:29,001 --> 00:33:31,881
up in my YouTube and there they are. It's just so,
647
00:33:31,881 --> 00:33:35,441
it's so exciting. So thank you for that great work
648
00:33:35,441 --> 00:33:37,121
and modeling it so beautifully.
649
00:33:38,371 --> 00:33:40,451
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: Thanks Peters. It's a joy to work with you too.
650
00:33:40,451 --> 00:33:40,561
>> Speaker F: Aw.
651
00:33:40,561 --> 00:33:45,221
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: this has been just a big old love fest. And now a,
652
00:33:45,171 --> 00:33:45,691
look ahead.
653
00:33:47,691 --> 00:33:50,771
>> Peterson Toscano: Yes, there will be a season five of climate
654
00:33:50,771 --> 00:33:51,131
change.
655
00:33:51,211 --> 00:33:51,931
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: Woohoo.
656
00:33:52,891 --> 00:33:57,051
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: Season five will begin in March 2027, so mark your
657
00:33:57,051 --> 00:34:00,051
calendars that entire month and Autumn Brown and
658
00:34:00,051 --> 00:34:01,971
Nicole Ziroff will be back with us for that
659
00:34:01,971 --> 00:34:02,251
season.
660
00:34:02,901 --> 00:34:05,861
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: In the meantime, we are going to share episodes
661
00:34:05,861 --> 00:34:09,101
from other podcasts that we love and listen to all
662
00:34:09,101 --> 00:34:11,461
the time and we want to share with you.
663
00:34:11,701 --> 00:34:11,871
>> Speaker F: Yeah.
664
00:34:11,871 --> 00:34:15,021
>> Peterson Toscano: Ah, think of it as a podcast swap season. We're
665
00:34:15,021 --> 00:34:16,981
going to feature episodes from some of our
666
00:34:16,981 --> 00:34:19,741
favorite podcasts and those folks will share one
667
00:34:19,741 --> 00:34:21,711
of, our episodes with their listeners.
668
00:34:22,191 --> 00:34:24,791
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: So stay subscribed and there will be more to hear
669
00:34:24,791 --> 00:34:26,351
before season five begins.
670
00:34:30,751 --> 00:34:33,551
>> Peterson Toscano: Thank you for listening to Climate Change, a
671
00:34:33,551 --> 00:34:35,371
podcast from the BTS Center.
672
00:34:35,371 --> 00:34:38,811
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: The BTS center is located in beautiful Portland,
673
00:34:38,811 --> 00:34:42,131
Maine. We offer programs and resources for
674
00:34:42,131 --> 00:34:45,491
spiritual leaders, faith communities and all who
675
00:34:45,491 --> 00:34:49,011
are seeking to live with courage, compassion and
676
00:34:49,011 --> 00:34:51,531
imagination in a climate changed world.
677
00:34:51,851 --> 00:34:54,811
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: You can find transcripts, discussion guides, full
678
00:34:54,811 --> 00:34:57,811
length video episodes, short videos and bonus
679
00:34:57,811 --> 00:35:01,341
material through the BTS Center's website and our
680
00:35:01,341 --> 00:35:02,101
YouTube page.
681
00:35:02,421 --> 00:35:04,621
>> Peterson Toscano: Climate change is produced by me, Peterson
682
00:35:04,621 --> 00:35:07,621
Toscano. Our season four hosts were autumn Brown
683
00:35:07,621 --> 00:35:08,901
and Nicole Deroff.
684
00:35:08,901 --> 00:35:11,461
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: Many thanks to our wonderful guests this season.
685
00:35:12,021 --> 00:35:16,561
Tory Stevens, Katie Mears, Norma Wong, Rabbi Ora,
686
00:35:16,511 --> 00:35:20,551
Nitkin Kainer, Frances Weller, whose voices helped
687
00:35:20,551 --> 00:35:23,911
shape a season of world building. Stay connected.
688
00:35:24,231 --> 00:35:28,831
You can email US podcast the btscenter.org we
689
00:35:28,831 --> 00:35:30,271
really do love hearing from you.
690
00:35:31,471 --> 00:35:35,391
Now as we close this episode and this season we
691
00:35:35,391 --> 00:35:38,351
turn to the words associated with Julian of
692
00:35:38,351 --> 00:35:41,911
Norwich, the 14th century English mystic who lived
693
00:35:41,911 --> 00:35:44,911
through plague, upheaval, and deep uncertainty.
694
00:35:45,391 --> 00:35:48,901
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: Julian wrote, all shall be well, and all, shall be
695
00:35:48,901 --> 00:35:52,701
well, and all manner of things shall be well.
696
00:35:55,391 --> 00:35:58,631
>> Peterson Toscano: Not as denial and not as an escape, but as a
697
00:35:58,631 --> 00:36:02,151
stubborn sacred trust spoken from inside a
698
00:36:02,151 --> 00:36:02,911
troubled world.
699
00:36:04,431 --> 00:36:07,471
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: So may we become people who do not look away.
700
00:36:07,951 --> 00:36:11,071
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: May we become people who can imagine beyond
701
00:36:11,071 --> 00:36:12,911
despair and beyond denial.
702
00:36:12,991 --> 00:36:16,031
>> Peterson Toscano: May we become good ancestors to those who will
703
00:36:16,031 --> 00:36:17,311
inherit what we do.
704
00:36:17,951 --> 00:36:20,191
>> Rev Nicole Diroff: May our community, communities learn to hold grief
705
00:36:20,271 --> 00:36:22,191
without being consumed by it.
706
00:36:22,991 --> 00:36:26,191
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: May our stories make room for courage, kinship,
707
00:36:26,351 --> 00:36:28,111
repair and joy.
708
00:36:28,431 --> 00:36:31,511
>> Peterson Toscano: And in this climate changed world, may we keep
709
00:36:31,511 --> 00:36:33,311
building what love requires.
710
00:36:33,631 --> 00:36:36,591
>> Ophelia Hu Kinney: All shall be well, and all shall be well.
711
00:36:36,751 --> 00:36:39,391
>> Peterson Toscano: And all manner of things shall be well.