Love & Livelihood

I don’t fully know what I’m seeing in these two words yet.

Love as I know it now is like a biting, bright light which makes the impossible feel necessary, like leaping across chasms is safe.

Livelihood as I know it now is the opportunity to make choices, the capability to apply force in the direction you desire, a marrying of fuel & spark, conditions where your fire can take.

---

Livelihood as money, as fuel, as agency

Livelihood as vocation, as calling, as purpose

Livelihood as a thing to do, as an opportunity to create value

Livelihood as a demand for our creativities and gifts

Livelihood as the house that builds us as we nail it

Livelihood as the constant prototype towards what your life is about

Livelihood as a fellowship, a source of family, a team

Livelihood as inspiration, as challenge

---

Love as a gift of self sovereignty

Love as hope, as nourishment

Love as surrender, as a loss of control

Love as seeing another wholly

Love as allowing ourselves to receive care

Love as delight for their delight

Love as bravely saying how you really are today

Love as the place of infinite solitude and infinite connectedness.

---

I am noticing from our lives in Enspiral that when the magic of love and livelihood are woven consciously into the way we build community, there is real power for sustained collective action. How might we see love & livelihood like ultimate resources to be collected and valued really well? Love & livelihood – how might we be generous with these two things? How can we be committed to helping one another find love and livelihood? How might we make it the work of our community to build these capitals?

---

I’m interested in sustained agency, and mindful surrender, in balance.

When we build work places around only livelihood, or build social good organisations out of only love, there is a stagnation which eventually arrives for both. A cascade of perverse incentives to cut out that which is not the “Reason we’re here!”. Livelihood is shrugged out of social movements like a corrupting poison. Love is brushed away from the professional spaces like a threat to our almighty Rationality.

What happens if we design for both? What happens if we say bring your loving creative self wholly to your work? What happens if we say bring your intellect and your strategy wholly to your life? What happens if we say “tell me where you’ve been and the questions you’re asking?” and then say “I see your potential, lets build you some ways to create value and invite you to belong here. because we’re asking the same questions as you”.

I want to build communities of Love and Livelihood.

Counting the Death Toll at Cancun

Almost invariably, the simplest actions speak volumes. Today, on the final day of the sixteenth session of the Conference of the Parties, the youth participants banded together to showcase the urgency of an agreement on solutions to climate change.

Throughout the duration of the conference, we, and all the youth delegations and non-governmental organizations here, have been fighting to express feelings of urgency, tragedy, opportunity and possibility. The number of lives that are directly affected by climate change is enormous and growing, while the policy grinds along at a depressing pace.

To assert the swelling need for the implementation of mitigation and adaptation strategies, around 30 young people stood on the steps of the conference center and counted the number of climate change related deaths so far this year. One, two, three, four, … We hoped to account for 21,000 people, and even devoting only 1 second to each would take hours and hours, but we were willing to acknowledge each and every one of them.

Justice delayed is justice denied

The UNFCCC delayed and delayed the confirmation that our action would be possible; a 48 hour grace period is required to gain permission to conduct a demonstration. After pushing it back and making us wait for over 2 hours, we stayed together and fronted up with a huge banner: “Justice delayed is justice denied” and each held a placard displaying a reason for the deaths, or the message “1.5 to stay alive”. We were given 30 minutes to make our point, after which it was clear we would be removed, but we followed the rhythm of the numbers into the dark as the sun set an hour later. One thousand two hundred and forty seven, one thousand two hundred and forty eight …

I stood at the back of the bundle, arms linked with two young people either side – from opposite sides of the world – who I have come to know and love in our COP experience. But, unlike previous moments where we have cheered together, at that time we were somber together. Holding the idea between us that each of these numbers passing our lips – one thousand and ninety three, one thousand and ninety four… were whole lives. We would not allow the numbers and statistics that fill these negotiations to be faceless. As the numbers rose, our pace remained the same; relentlessly spoken from hearts on breaking point. Two thousand and seventeen, two thousand and eighteen… we were feeling the stories wash over us, from elderly forced to watch their children die, to children not yet 15 who lie in the dark, dehydrated with no clean water available, and quietly fade out of being while Los Angeles’ marries off floosies. Justice delayed is justice denied. There is no place in the united nations for the accommodation of affluent preferences while human rights are being broken.

You could hear people’s voices breaking as they choked through the count. Tears filled my eyes and I looked around to see that the owners of the arms I was holding were also filled with grief. Out of the rhythm rose one question: how many have to die?

The face of the demonstration

The media saw the front of the demonstration, they saw the banner and the faces and the syncopated lips, but the decision makers and ministers were walking behind the scene and towards the door of the conference hall; out of sight, eyes down. From my place in the back I turned to face them with my placard “1.5 to stay alive” and chanted as clearly as I could, making eye contact with each one, as they passed.
Individuals with pink badges, party delegates, got extra attention. Many who walked past refused to look at me. Looked through us, listened to their own thoughts and walked through the doors. But as time went on, more pink badges held my gaze. Some did this only to show me they choose not to look, and they would throw our shared glance to the floor and carry on. But others would touch my hand, “I am with you”, “I agree”, “Thank you”. These were the voices of Small Island Nations’ party delegates and those from Bangladesh and other countries that know and have seen the direct affects shared the grief and the urgency. Adrian Macey, our dear New Zealander who is the Co-Chair of the Kyoto Protocol Negotiating Track found me and said “Chelsea! You all need to be louder!” These smiles and touches of solidarity lit up the moment. Like Julia Butterfly Hill says “If you have hope in your heart and you are the only one who has hope left, then there is hope for the world”.

Reaching close to two thousand five hundred – nineteen thousand still to go – the depth of feeling was mounting and the security began to crowd us. One woman stood forward and submitted the ultimatum. “If you stay now, and continue to count, your accreditation will be cancelled now and including COP17. You must disperse”.

Holding together

The tension rose as some people held each other closer and prepared for the inevitable removal. The chanting remained strong, but the number in the bunch lessened and the knot tightened. I stayed in this knot until security began to approach, then us kiwis, many Australians were joined by individuals from all around the world, standing to one side; standing in solidarity with those who were forced into the buses. Up to 20 people were pushed through the door and as we watched them press their signs against the windows and continue counting we screamed “boooooo!” To watch the process physically deny young people from sharing true facts from a place of deep sincerity was an outrage.

Pushing us out of sight and out of mind

The media gaggle swept the scene like a rising tide, clogging the area and adding to the commotion. Those of us who stood aside were awash with emotion; small huddles formed as we sobbed into each others hair and chests and clung to each other. Cameras nosed into our faces and we fed the cameras with our pleas for urgency, climate justice, full participation, cooperation and empathy.

Flash, Click, Shove – the cameras are rolling

Our words spread into the night, across cyber space and out into the world while the decision makers gathered into a plenary session to respond to the proposed Cancun Agreement texts. Simply counting, simply standing, and simply feeling. We won’t let this voice go unheard.

1.5 To Stay Alive – Youth Plea for Urgent Action

Structured Chaos

Viva La Mexico is fast gearing up for the “climatico conferencia” as the Mexicans call it. I was having breakfast this morning at our hostel as usual with my hair looking like i’d just slept in a dryer, not yet showered and looking sleepy with a piece of toast hanging out of my mouth when this guy walked out of the spare room and sat down for breakfast with me, I asked without really thinking
“oh when did you arrive?”
“early this morning”.
Turns out he is a very important negotiator in COP for the Nepalese government, working on finance! I’m stoked to be staying in the same place as him, without even realizing it!

After having toast with a Nepalese negotiator, we bustled off to Conference Of Youth (COY6) today at the universidad del caribe, and met over 200 youth delegates from around the globe! Here we found amping young people for 22 countries, and astoundingly we discovered that New Zealand is one of the largest youth delegations in the world! Considering it took us 3 days to get here, that’s hugely impressive and will be fantastic to show the Australasian leaders we mean business.

To emphasise our presence further we unfurled our 10 x 6 metre silver fern on the lawn of the university (Just before the sprinklers came on…). To see it finally complete and to share it with the passionate youth felt like our journey in NZ had come to a climactic conclusion and the wild Mexican adventure has begun. The FAB Fern is a rallying point, a symbol of home and hope and excitement. Thank you to everyone who scrawled their message – we’re taking it to the world with smiles.

As the day progressed, I found myself putting up my hand to co-ordinate the text-alert communications system for all of YOUNGO (almost 1000 young people swarming Cancun). This means we can all know where and when and who and what actions are taking place in the city and the latest updates from COP. A system like this gives us the ability to mobilize thousands of people within minutes.

Other people in NZYD have jumped into important roles today too, with our newly formed Advisory group drafting interventions which are speeches to the plenary session. Jessie, Suzanna, Rachel, Paulo and Emma have til tomorrow to complete this and are working with YOUNGO leaders to prepare it for the scrutiny it will face in the meetings and in international media.

Mike also attended an indepth strategy meeting to decide what the international youth message is for COP this year. Previously it has been Survival is not Negotiable and other such slogans. NZYD has come to COY with a united front which gives us the opportunity to have significant and meaningful input into the collective youth movement in 2010.

Now we have 20 minutes til our next group meeting at 11pm when all the group will be back from their working group meetings and we will debrief and prepare for tomorrow. COPs always seem to fall into chaotic harmonies like this. From who you eat breakfast with, to having 3 meetings in one evening with different working groups having midnight deadlines for policy and speeches… Structured chaos is the name of this game.

ARTICLE: Crusader heads for Mexico

She may only be 18 but this former Rutherford College student knows a thing or two about the realities of global environmental politics.

Chelsea Robinson is one of 12 New Zealand youth delegates who will be flying to Cancun, Mexico for the COP16 United Nations Climate Change Summit on November 21.

The group of young Kiwis are responsible for ensuring New Zealand’s youth are informed about climate change and have a voice at the summit.

Chelsea says its not an easy road to Cancun because the delegates need to fund their own journeys.

The group needs to raise $65,000 for the trip to cover costs of about $6000 each.

“Its not exactly an easy thing to do on a student budget,” the Victoria University student says.

She’s anticipating real difference to be made from this year’s summit, unlike last year’s Copenhagen conference which left her disappointed.

“There was a kind of global environmental depression after that summit,” Chelsea says.

“For me it was a mixed bag of disappointment, frustration and hope.”

At the summit this year she predicts the focus will shift away from environmental targets, a topic which dominated last year’s discussions.

“This year will be about putting processes of action into place – it will be more gritty and getting down to business.”

Chelsea, who lives at home in Glendene when she is not at university, says the spirit of climate change in Latin America reflects the new attitude of the cause.

“It’s all about civil empowerment this time round.

“There’s a whole lot of brilliant stuff going on down there with a lot of protesting.”

She says this year’s protests where New Zealanders marched against mining at national parks proved that people power does matter.

She says the current New Zealand government could do better on climate change.

“Our position is pretty average and actually very disappointing because as a nation we are in a very good position to make real change,” she says.

“We have the potential to be running completely on renewable resources yet we lack the courage to bring it home.”

Visit www. youthdelegation.org.nz to sponsor Chelsea.

(Vanita Prasad, Western Leader)

Relate, Relearn, Renew, Re-Be

I’d like to introduce you to a wonderful blogger @ http://re-be.com/

I find Re-Be.com to be:

genuine
upbeat
positive
innovative
strengths based
solutions focussed
peaceful
care-full
re-inspiring
re-freshing.

Enticing notes from this illustrious blogger:

” Top 5 tips that I would give to my former self to avoid the pitfalls of consumerism. Given that they come from experience, they’re also lessons from my former self to me today:

1. Be a producer instead of a consumer

2. Enjoy being embodied

3. Immerse yourself in less consumerist settings

4. Ease off the commercial TV and media

5. Love your work”

“While some people craft coherent story-lines to describe their purpose in life or work, I just see it like this: our purpose is whatever brings us most alive. It can therefore flow with the shifting currents of our life.”
“Rather than fighting against what we don’t want (i.e. climate change), we’re more powerful when we support what we do

want with all our strength.

Humans have actually been waging wars against ourselves and our environment for as long as I can tell. We don’t need another war. What we really need is a great big reconstruction effort. We need to concentrate our energy on creating the world that we want, and collaborate with anyone we like who shares our passion.”