Come Together

Jonathan Wood Logan (or "J-Lo," to his friends) has devoted himself to Extinction Rebellion America full time for the past 20 months.He presents the group's signature "Heading for Extinction" briefing, which introduces prospective members to the dire situation of the world. That's the beginning of a process of "education, inspiration, and organization" which J-Lo hopes will mobilize masses of people to fight for the transformation of our politics and culture."We need to use the existing systems to transfer into a better kind of culture," he says. "Capitalism is designed to chew up everything in its path. ... The problem with that is you can't have infinite growth in a closed system."For capitalism to work, J-Lo says, we must "put a saddle on its back, a bridle in its mouth, a carrot in front of it, and a whip behind it to force that engine of creativity and productivity into making the world we want, not the world we ended up with."J-Lo sees Extinction Rebellion as a channel for the energy of people who have lost "a predictable world.""The event horizon of predictability has collapsed to right now," he says. "And now it's behind us! ... We can't see the future coming." The "mythologies of our culture" that provided identity, security, and morality have been "blown out in a confetti gun. ... We're past the end of history ... and it's disorienting."Only by mobilizing millions of people in non-violent civil disobedience can we muster the power to transform our current system."Small things done by mass people is the answer" J-Lo says. "Small things done by mass people, and having a commitment."Please visit my website at https://cometogether.me.

Igor Polskiy is the new Facilitation Coordinator for the Deep Adaptation Forum. He sees opportunity in crisis. The collapse of the "machine" that is our industrial civilization may create open spaces in which we can find better ways to live.Igor spent several years in eco-villages before coming to Deep Adaptation. He saw people living together in peace with each other and with the natural world. Now, his mission is to bring together the "inner work" of processing emotions with the outer work of "compassionate action." He has written in depth about inner and external work as "Two Wheels of a Chariot," on the Deep Adaptation Forum blog.Igor wants to integrate the "symbolic work" that we do together on the Internet with work at the biological and physical level. To that end, he and others are organizing the "Deep Live Gathering." In October, 2021, people will gather physically in various regions of the world, and the regional gatherings will be connected, intermittently, over the Internet.Igor says: "We should find a way to build a bridge to connect people together, because we need each other, and we need to support each other. But we need to change our mindset. It's like two steps every time: inner work, external work; calm ourselves, process emotions...and compassionate action. They should go in circles."See more of Igor's work at his website On The Edge, including an elucidation of "post-crisis hope," the idea that, like certain seeds in the forest, we must pass through fire in order to become fertile. He joins us from his family's home, near Moscow, Russia.Please visit my website at cometogether.me. 

When Melissa Allison heard about collapse, she changed her life. She went looking for love and joy, and found them!She gave up her job, her marriage, and her hometown of Seattle. She moved to Canada, then to Hawaii. It was hard in the beginning, she says, but it got easier, as every decision led to greater freedom and happiness. Today, she is with the love of her life, expanding her heart and soul in ever-increasing peace and joy.I met Melissa in Seattle when we both were getting involved with Deep Adaptation. For Melissa, Deep Adaptation has been a doorway to other destinations, rather than a destination in itself. Nevertheless, she credits Jem Bendell with inspiring the "freakout breakdown" that led her to make profound changes."It took more courage than I realized it was going to take," she says. "Without the awareness of collapse, and what that means to me, I wouldn't have tried."Please visit our website at cometogether.me, and subscribe to this podcast.

Fernando Garcia Ferreiro — "Nando" — left a world-class job to become a seeker after truth, or what he calls an "experienced beginner." In the face of collapse, Nando is remaking himself in a new life, closer to the Earth.Nando worked for 33 years for the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union. When he retired in 2018, he was the Director of Health and Well-Being, responsible for 45,000 people. Now, among other things, he facilitates Deep Relating sessions as a guide for the Deep Adaptation Forum.For links to the names and titles Nando mentions during the podcast, please visit our website at cometogether.me.

David B. talks with Fred Ehresmann, a mental-health nurse from Bristol, England. Fred shares the conversations he's had with his 8-year-old daughter about her own death, a dying planet, and a future shaped by climate change. Fred tells how Deep Adaptation helps him cope with the anguish of contemplating the mortality of his children.Please visit our website at cometogether.me.

Why has South Africa been beset by a week of riots, looting, and arson? The spark was the arrest of former President Jacob Zuma in relation to a corruption investigation. But hunger, poverty, hopelessness, and a brutal lockdown to control COVID-19 provided fuel for the fire.André Clements joins us from his home in Johannesburg, South Africa, to discuss the experience of living in a place where the social order is breaking down. André and his family are safe, so far, but they may face shortages of fuel and food if supply lines are not reestablished in the coming days.André discusses the mutual-aid networks that have sprung up in response to the disaster. People helping each other in hard times is what gives him encouragement in the face of collapse.André is a visual artist, and is involved in Extinction Rebellion.» Durban food riots turn the wheel of history; New Frame; July 12, 2021Please visit our website at cometogether.me.

María José López says that she is "very clearly white," but she chooses not to live "the canonically white lifestyle" in her home town of Mexico City. Instead, she explores her indigenous roots with the women of the Zapatista movement, building networks of communication and resistance.María proposes that the wisdom of indigenous women can lead us to a worthy life, even in the face of worldwide collapse:“They not only know practically how to do it; they have a cosmogony, a spiritual view, a literary view, poetic view of what is happening that also soothes the soul and the body."It helps when you view Earth as a living being, and what is happening to it right now as an ‘agony.’ They know how to take care of the Earth. There are a lot of people that do have ideas, that do have ways of at least making the years we have, however little or however many they may be...they can make this place livable, and somewhere to be celebrated, and somewhere you can cherish the fact that you are alive and that you are human.“They know that, and we don’t know that, because we’ve pushed them out of our lives. They want to share. They don’t only want to live for themselves. They want to share what they know, because they know we need it.”María is the social media editor at Piedepagina.mx. ("Footnote" — English language page: https://piedepagina.mx/category/otras-lenguas/). She's an independent teacher, and an activist for women's liberation and resisting collapse.Please visit our website at https://cometogether.me, and please subscribe.

Wendy Freeman thinks of her life as a “blank slate” — plans and dreams of former days are gone. Instead, she is “navigating the cliff-edge” of collapse awareness as part of the Deep Adaptation community, where she finds friends and helps other people.Collapse may be a long, drawn-out condition of increasing hardship, Wendy says, but humans will find a reason to go on, even in the harshest of circumstances. Even in the face of death, fear, and uncertainty, we can still get out of bed, put our feet on the floor, and work to help other people.Wendy has been volunteering for Deep Adaptation for two years. She has found friends who are “working from the same awareness,” and she has learned “mechanisms and processes to navigate along the cliff edge.” She doesn’t know what will happen tomorrow or next week — but she finds joy in the small things, and in being of service to others.Visit our website at ComeTogether.me.  "Jem's paper" that Wendy mentions is "Deep Adaptation: A Map for Navigating Climate Tragedy." Consider looking into the Deep Adaptation Facebook Group.