Hear
Written by Destiny Allen-Green and Maia Somers
Hear: When was the last time you listened to a tree?
This question may seem silly, but so often we do not view our surroundings as fellow beings, worthy of respect, compassion, and consideration. The language we use in many ways can grant us permission to undermine the dignity of other living things. Language has a powerful influence over how we perceive the world around us - it can foster empathy or embolden bad behaviour - we must constantly consider how we’re being influenced and taught by language.
When we become open to the idea that a tree might have something to say, we can begin to HEAR what the Earth is trying to teach us. The R. and M. in TEA FARMERS stands for ‘Reciprocity Movement’. For us this means listening to and recognizing that there are things to be learned from the living lands and beings around us; and letting these learnings motivate us towards justice. What sustainable change can be found without first humbly listening?
When we slow down and tune in to Earth’s collective, we begin to recognize the gracious gifts that nature offers us. Gifts are not transactions, they are invitations into a relationship and real relationships necessitate our investment and trust. In seeing the gift we move towards a mindset of gratitude and reciprocity wherein our collective flourishing is codependent and connected. Let’s not let those gifts go unhonoured.
We’ve found as we grow in proximity to Earth’s creatures we return to our child-like state where the trees are our friends, and the birds are our relatives. These relationships foster reciprocity.
“If a maple is an it, we can take up the chain saw. If a maple is a her, we think twice.” - Robin Wall Kimmerer