By Shelly Corbin/Takóni Kókipešni
Images by Shelly Corbin/Takóni Kókipešni
It’s really an incredible gift to be alive. Literally out of the whole universe, you have the opportunity to be born from your mother, who was born from her mother and so on…to experience the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual connections to yourself, others and most importantly the living world.
But, why is the living world the most important? Wouldn’t it be ourselves, humans?
What if I told you that you are the living world and not separate from it? To share further, I come from a culture where our knowledge is passed down from generation to generation through the memory of our mothers. We believe that we are creation, which is the living world. In order to live, you must eat the life sources that grow from the soil that holds the water we drink, and where the sun in the sky gives energy to sustain all life. If the world is alive and all parts of the world are living, then everything that has existed or currently exists is connected in one way or another. The way I understand the continuation of living knowledge is through my daughter, Mae.
One snowy day Mae and I were sitting in a car waiting for a friend to join us. Mae was in the back seat looking out the window and she asked, “Mom, why are they cutting those trees down? They provide the oxygen we need to breathe and homes for the squirrels.”
I replied, “Someone is cutting them down to build more homes for people.”
“If they cut down those trees where do the animals go?”, asked Mae.
“Honestly, they may have to relocate, which isn’t always a good thing for people because we are a part of the living world and therefore we need to live in harmony in order to continue existing.” I replied.
She then asked, “How are we a part of the living world?”
“You know that a lion that lives in Africa, what happens when they transform (die), they usually are food for other animals or provide the living world nutrients and water when their physical body breaks down, it becomes a part of the soil again. The water that was a part of the lion enters into the water cycle, where in one form it can evaporate and become clouds. Those clouds begin to build and when they get big all the water becomes heavy and falls back to earth in the form of rain or snow. The rain flows through the soil into our well and out of our faucet where we drink it.”
Mae sat quietly for a moment, then she said, “If the snow is a part of the water cycle which is life, then the snow that falls is me, and my ancestors that have come before me.”
“Yes! That is what we know to be true.” I said enthusiastically.
I share this memory, because there is a need for connections and relationships with the living world. A need to remember that you are a part of the earth. How you choose to show up and interact with all life is critical because what we do to the earth we do to ourselves.
For example, right now communities across Ohio are being poisoned by toxic radioactive oil and gas waste injected underground in wells. This waste is toxic to all forms of life. These wells, they leak! Applying Mae’s perspective, this waste is a liquid that re-enters the water cycle and becomes toxic air pollution, rain, and water where it further enters all forms of life and they too become toxic. Injection wells continue to pollute the water, soil, animals, and humans thus impacting the ability for life and future generations to continue to exist. This is one of many issues that the living world is facing.
Connections and relationships are a way to move forward.
You have the tools and solutions to create a better future. Reconnecting to ourselves, each other, and the living world gives us unique personal emotional experiences. These emotional experiences that, if repeated and strong enough, can become memories. Memories that are passed down from generation to generation.
Interested in taking action? If you live in Ohio join us in taking action, sign our petition today!
Shelly is a campaign representative with Sierra Club, working with the Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign in Ohio.