Vision Quest

As a new year begins

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Meaning we need to find new paths.

• What are we called to do?
• Where do we look for help?

Ancestors

• What things do we admire about our ancestors?
• Are we living up to the lessons they provide?
• What mistakes did they make that we can learn from?

Spirituality

• How can we deepen faith?  
• What gets in the way of finding that spiritual guidance?
• Do we have the courage to follow where our faith leads us?
• How do we support each other to express that courage?
• How do we facilitate and learn from the expression of spirituality in the wider community?

Comfortable

• What are the dangers of being comfortable? I don’t believe we should be comfortable with so many things as they are now. Because so much is rooted in injustice.

Collapse

It is clear the world we grew up in is no longer. The environment is rapidly becoming increasingly chaotic. Economic and political systems are failing. Physical and social infrastructure is breaking down.

Centralized systems of government and the economy will collapse for lack of resources and the infrastructure to provide them.

Increasingly we will all be forced to reckon with disasters of all kinds. We will have no choice.

Migration

What needs to be done to prepare for climate migration.

1. Climate Action: Urgent global and national climate action is needed to mitigate the effects of climate change.
2. Infrastructure Development: Communities need to prepare for an influx of migrants by developing physical infrastructure such as affordable housing and transport routes.
3. Social Services Expansion: Communities will need to expand healthcare, education services, and create new jobs to accommodate the increasing population.
4. Recognition and Support: Recognizing climate migrants and focusing on larger processes that facilitate resilience—like access to education, housing, jobs, and healthcare—is crucial.
5. Cultural Sensitivity: Communities will also have to address increased cultural diversity and potential tensions between new settlers and the local population.
6. Climate Havens: Some communities with certain geographical pre-conditions can become ‘climate havens’ for climate refugees. These communities have access to fresh water, are sufficiently far away from the seaside, have an adequate height above sea level, and currently have a colder climate.

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I have become a migrant myself. Having been living with my mom to care for her, I recently needed to find a new place to live when she died. The following photos show what my possessions have been reduced to. Almost all of those boxes contain books. The plastic bags contain my clothing.  

This is helping me understand what will be happening to so many very shortly. What has happened to so many already. People won’t be able to move many possessions. Transportation will be limited, and we may not know where we will end up.