Mythic Resilience

Re·sil·ience noun

the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties

Nature

Nature's inherent resilience teaches us that change is a natural part of existence and that adaptation is key to survival. From natural disasters to the birth of new species, the Earth demonstrates an incredible ability to adjust to shifts, emphasizing the cyclical nature of events. In the event of an individual's demise, the community must endure to secure survival. These communities must continue to operate in the face of a multitude of threats including natural disasters, outbreaks of disease and potential extinction. The Earth is constantly undergoing miniature apocalyptic events, yet a concurrent and a lesser discussed phenomenon is the emergence of miniature renewal events.

People

Lacking natural bodily defenses such as claws or armor, humans have needed to explore alternative means of adaptation to survive. This resilience is deeply rooted in our psychological, emotional, and physical capacities to adapt and overcome obstacles. But what happens when the intent on perfection and domination becomes the pursuit? The result is the Anthropocene, where humans have changed the earth but are unable to truly understand the negative consequences until the damages occur. Community and collective action are the ways to adapt to the ever changing world and the ability to minimize the damage caused. 

“Doing the right thing is as much about doing good actions in the future as it is atoning for bad actions in the past. If you’re just going to do one of those, then you’re only doing half of the equation.” —Mike Trapp

Stories

Stories and the land we live on are inherently connected. Stories create common ground and unite humans in the good and bad times. From stories told aloud around the campfire long ago to new ideas written down in the present, we are made human by language and communication. We are told where people come from, why they are here, how to live and sometimes how to die. It is now more important than ever to listen to what others are saying and create more empathy with the world around us.

If we’ve survived the apocalypses before, we must have hope and faith in each other that we’ll survive again.