REGENERATION IS REVOLUTIONARY

Weaving the web between community, interconnectedness, and climate activism

I attended my first climate awareness seminar four years ago. 

An elderly scientist, dressed in plaid with round glasses, presented colorful charts with facts and figures about the climate crisis from rising temperatures to ocean acidification.

Soon after, a student sporting Dr. Martens introduced the role of non-violent movements in bringing about systemic change. He gave examples of Mahatma Gandhi’s mass civil disobedience, the Suffrage movement, and the Civil Rights movement. He boldly stated that a mass uprising was necessary to disrupt our destructive way of life and that each one of us had a role to play.  

“3.5% of the population is necessary for the drastic system change we need” he stated confidently. I didn’t really question it at the time. I just wanted to be part of the 3.5%. 

A few months later, I was blocking a bridge in Amsterdam with my fellow activists. I was exhausted, and so were the riot police. A week of “rebelling” takes its toll. 

I watched the police drag my friends away and honestly felt a bit left out. There I was sitting on the sidelines while my friends proudly proclaimed, “I got arrested while standing up for the Earth!” I thought to myself that the people being hauled from the streets were the ones making real change and I was merely supporting the brave white activists standing up for what they believed in.

At last, I got my dramatic police encounter. He twisted my knuckles. I lost my shoes. They never took me to a cell, but immediately kicked me out of the city.

I was on the next bus out of Amsterdam. I had to take a tram back to find my shoes. 

Beyond Civil Disobedience

In retrospect, I should have never put myself in that position. Arrest is not a badge of honor. 

Caught up in the fervor of civil disobedience, I didn’t understand that my consequences would be far more significant than my European counterparts. I risked losing my visa and faced increased violence from the authorities. Perhaps my white peers believed that the system would be on their side. Most of them returned home with a mere slap on the wrist. 

As we marched through the streets calling for climate justice, my fellow activists preached that BIPOC voices should lead the climate movement. But when I looked around, I was one of the only brown activists in a sea of white faces. When a movement actively encourages mass arrests to make a difference, how can one expect activists like me to march on the frontlines?

In the months that followed, I drifted away from civil disobedience. We don’t do that in the Maldives. At least not for the environment. Not yet.

I explored new forms of activism and discovered Regenerative Culture — a practice that affirms that change is our only constant. We have reached a point where ‘sustainability’ doesn’t really mean anything anymore. Greenwashing campaigns have misconstrued “sustainability” as “sustaining our current way of life.” But in reality, it’s destructive to believe that we can continue on our current path. Instead of laying out the blueprints for the future, we should start practicing the future we envision. 

We must move beyond sustainability. We need regeneration. 

Living in a Regenerative Community

Our estrangement from ourselves, each other, and the natural world is not a choice we willingly made. The harsh realities of overworking for little pay, limited access to green spaces and recreation, the impact of pollution, and relentless day-to-day injustices tear apart the bonds that hold our communities together. The merciless grind, compounded by these injustices, leaves us depleted and disconnected. When each day is a fight, how can we find the time and space to develop respect and reverence for the world? 

A regenerative community inspires a sense of ecological awareness. It does not differentiate between the human and the natural world. It recognizes the inherent interdependence of the world and addresses the root causes of our estrangement. We mistakenly believe that we can simply teach ecological awareness or ‘raise awareness’. Saviors fly to faraway lands to teach ‘greener’ ways of living. Many of us that are indigenous to our land did not magically lose our sense of ecological awareness. It was taken away from us by exploitative economic systems that disrupted ancient cultural and ecological relationships. 

Healing — a demanding and lifelong process — is central to building a regenerative community. We need the space to come together to share our stories of joy, grief, and suffering. An acknowledgment of your suffering, and being listened to, can heal us in an age where we are systemically isolated and feel so alone. In our isolation, we are also expected to heal ourselves. If anything, the myriad of mental health issues that stem from our disconnection are merely an ‘inconvenience’ to the capitalist machine. 

Spaces for shared healing, fostering community, and connecting to the natural world is crucial for regeneration. Through healing, we can work together to create the world we wish to live in. 

A Slow, Gentle Shift 

Practicing regenerative culture is a slow and delicate transformation. It requires hours spent appreciating the ebb and flow of the waves, the perfect geometrical patterns of sunflowers, and the endlessness of a starry night sky. Through contemplation, we are whisked away into the ineffable that reminds us that we are not separate from the planet, and our survival depends on our understanding of this fundamental truth. 

Our social structures, norms, cultures, morals, ethics, and hierarchies exist against the backdrop of a fragile Earth. And if the natural world sustains itself on interconnectedness and cooperation, why can’t we?  

Regeneration is revolutionary. We can fight injustice by creating spaces of resistance — where joy, celebration, and grief are given voice. I no longer believe I can only fight by chaining myself to the picket lines. Mass civil disobedience has its place, and when we disobey, we can achieve powerful transformations. But civil disobedience is not the only answer. 

I choose to practice a regenerative culture and challenge the notion that this world is ours to pillage and consume. I do not want to view my community members as competitors. I don’t believe that a happier life comes at the cost of dragging everyone else down. 

“The art of transformative cultural innovation is to a large extent about making our peace with ‘not knowing’ and living into the questions more deeply, making sure we are asking the right questions, paying attention to our relationships and how we all bring forth a world not just through what we are doing, but through the quality of our being. A regenerative culture will emerge out of finding and living new ways of relating to self, community, and to life as a whole. At the core of creating regenerative cultures is an invitation to live the questions together.”

Daniel Christian Wahl, Designing Regenerative Cultures

I believe in the power of a resilient community to weather any storm. We must fight for our right to regenerate and transform — to connect with the roots that nourish us all. 

This is how I fight the good fight.