This is really happening.

A massive collapse of an ice sheet in Western Antarctica has begun and, according to scientists, is most likely an unstoppable event that will cause an inevitable rise in global sea levels of at least 10 feet. The rise will be relatively slow at first, but by 2100 will ramp up sharply. This could happen sooner, warn the scientists, as the impacts of anthropogenic climate disruption (ACD/climate change) continue to intensify.

“This is really happening,” Thomas P. Wagner, who runs NASA’s programs on polar ice and helped oversee some of the research, said. “There’s nothing to stop it now.”

 – Excerpt from: “Devastating” Impacts of Climate Change Increasing, by Dahr Jamail

Hi everyone,

I don’t think there is anyway to read the above excerpt without feeling frightened, if not utterly terrified by the implications. Global warming is real, it’s here, and all of our lives will feel the impact of it. Locally, we are already living with an extreme drought and high risk of wildfires. Across the country, extreme weather has become the new norm. Those most vulnerable are likely to feel it even more. Internationally, we need to expect that refugee populations are going to exponentially expand due to natural disasters, famine, and increased conflicts over limited resources.

Now more than ever we will have traumatized populations in need of not only the basics of survival, but also, effective trauma recovery for mass numbers of people.

We have got to come out of denial and start talking about this. We are going to need to increase creative collaboration among the many, but it’s not that easy. We are really in a bind here.

When we feel part of a like-minded group, our capacity increases. If ever there was a time to come together, it is now. Yet, when we feel afraid, our defenses kick in. Avoidance in this situation will just make it worse. The additional challenge is that high-stress activates the ‘survival-of-me‘ state, unplugging ‘survival-of-we‘ and the feeling of being part of the whole. At a time when we desperately need to come together, and feeling a sense of belonging as part of the whole would help us stay in a more centered, creative, calmer state longer, we are up against the ‘nature-of-the-beast’ that pulls us in the opposite direction.

It’s going to require more than just being educated about “the facts”. We need to deepen our experiential self-knowing related to stress and trauma, e.g. how to recognize the symptoms within our own life, noticing when we feel overwhelmed or numb, and what to do about it to recover well-being. (Please consider joining us on Saturday May 17th to learn more about how to do this.)

While Living Ubuntu’s vision and mission isn’t changing, we will be making some changes in our approach in order to be more congruent with the realities presented by the age we live in, The Anthropocene. On Tuesday May 20, we will be having our first planning meeting since the end of the April film series and we will discuss how to move forward differently, based in reality, given the fact that, “This is really happening.”

We would love to have you join us. All details are below.

Warmly,
Barbara English, LMFT
Founder & Executive Director, Living Ubuntu
livingubuntu.org
(949) 891-2005

[Ubuntu] n. My humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in what is yours.

::: UPCOMING LIVING UBUNTU EVENTS :::
Intro to Tension & Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE)
Saturday May 17 9:30a – 12:30p
Santa Ana

Living Ubuntu Planning Meeting – all are welcome 🙂
Tuesday May 20 6:30p
Patty’s office: 2424 SE Bristol Street, Suite 300, Newport Beach, CA 92660
If you arrive late, the door will be locked. To be let in, call Patty’s cell: 949.246.2969
Conference line: Conference dial-in number: (951) 262-4343 | Participant access code: 377504

TRE Certification Level One Training – more info soon!
Friday August 22 – Sunday August 24
San Diego

::: UPCOMING COMMUNITY EVENTS :::
Coffee Talk Series: “Climate Crisis: An Opportunity for Change” – UNA-OC
Saturday May 31 10a – 12p
Santa Ana

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