Playing Your Part

On the quest last month, I found myself revisiting an old question, more than a decade on from choosing this path: Why am I doing this work? How do I know that doing this 'partnering with nature' work is my highest form of contribution?

In one version of an answer, I would say that I didn't really have a choice. It became clear that until I chose to go and do guide training and start offering retreats, I would face significant friction. 

There is also an answer that attempts to satiate my rational mind. I've been passionate about changing the world, especially via standing up for Nature, for as long I can remember. Fundamentally choosing this path is about making a difference, creating the kind of change that is needed in the times we find ourselves in. The interesting thing is that outcomes from this work, in terms of what is conventionally conceived of as 'sustainability', are quite hard to quantify. We are so used to thinking of what it means to 'live sustainably' in easy to measure, individual-centric metrics like carbon footprint. But so much is missed with this measurement-focussed approach.

Questing has shown me, through my personal experience, the transformation that is possible in how we relate with nature, how we can experience ourselves as part of nature and achieve a shift from a worldview that sees each individual as fundamentally separate, to a worldview of 'interbeing.' There are many avenues for change that could be argued for, as a result of this inner transformation. 

If we trust the intelligence of life, and understand humans to be part of nature, meaning that that intelligent design runs through us too, then what we are called to do when we are aligned with our essence, our most connected part of ourselves, must be something that serves life. Life is always creating conditions for life to thrive. Our own inner nature guides us to do so also.

This life-serving sense of purpose that arises from deep connection is the 'vision' in 'vision quest.' All life needs, is people to play their part. And that could look very different for everybody. 

In my personal example, leaving the world of corporate sustainability to focus on a path where working intimately with small groups, affecting just a handful of people at a time, could seem like a step backwards in terms of overall impact. Even though I have witnessed now many, many beautiful examples of transformation, how can I know that this is making a difference to the planet? 

Quantitatively, it is impossible to know. But I do know that people acting from a worldview of interconnectedness and relationality, with an open heart, an alive relationship with nature and sense of purpose will not only be somehow in service to life, but also that they will be beacons to others, precipitating change in others and rippling through webs of culture. 

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Keen to discover what your part might be? The next Nature Quest, where you spend 4 days and nights alone in one small circle with no distractions, is September 6-14, 2025. Visit the page for more details.