This past weekend was the 2nd Annual Rust Belt Fibershed Symposium in Cleveland, Ohio. I made the drive out to join my fellow fibershed friends, both old and new in convening around the topic of enlivenment.
The theme of enlivenment was inspired by Andreas Weber's book by the same title and describes "the act of making something or someone more active, spirited, or cheerful." In Weber's context, it is an alternative understanding of our relationship with nature, arguing that humans and nature exist in a commons of mutual transformation. It allows us to see beyond the dualism of the Enlightenment-style thinking that suggests that humans control or are at odds with nature. Instead, reality is made up of a myriad of diverse relationships, each one impacting the another, and to be conscious of these relationships, allows for change and transformation to occur.
I read Weber's book earlier this year, and the little lime green paperback certainly packed a punch--it was dense, just as you would expect from a philosphical standpoint, but it was easy to understand. In fact, it felt almost natural and intuitive for me to digest, as if my bones already knew this, it was simply seeing this knowledge written in words.
And this past weekend, I felt like we were truly living it. The sold out event was as nourshing as it was disruptive. Experts of microplastics, waxing poetic about compost, and discussing how fibers in the construction of our homes are just as important as those that we wear. At one point the words "ANOTHER WORLD IS NECESSARY" appeared across the screen, and I could feel the molecules of all the matter in the room buzzing with energy.
This is what it takes. Recognizing our relationships to each other and the world around us, and actively showing up and doing something about it. Despite how dire I often feel when faced with the news of the day, what a joy to be alive.
Comments