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Feeling All The FeelsDear Friends and Colleagues, Imagine my surprise to hear an esteemed climate scientist say this about climate change: “We are not limited by science and technology. We are limited by our spiritual power.” My interview with Kritee Kanko was the most impactful of the more than thirty conversations I conducted for my upcoming book, Quiet Strength. Trained as a scientist with a PhD in microbiology and molecular genetics, Kritee spent more than a decade as a senior scientist at the Environmental Defense Fund. She worked closely with farmers in India whose livelihoods were imperiled by even slight increases in temperature, and she has witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of climate change. And yet, she has come to believe that the most consequential work we can do in response to this global crisis happens within our own hearts and minds. Guided by this conviction, she stepped away from scientific leadership and became a fully ordained Zen priest. Today her work includes facilitating grief and rage circles and supporting what she calls the Reindigenization of our planet. Perhaps you, like me, feel overwhelmed by the polycrises we face in this particular moment. The problems seem so immense they can make individual action feel inconsequential. I found Kritee’s perspective both clarifying and completely aligned with equanimity. The inner work of metabolizing grief and rage is accessible to each of us. While the connection between inner work and planetary healing may not be immediately obvious, Kritee traces it with care. She believes that healing ourselves and healing the Earth are inseparable. One way she describes this work is by “feeling all the feels,” a phrase that captures the essence of equanimity. Equanimity is not indifference or disengagement. It is the capacity to remain fully present to joy and sorrow alike – the whole poignant pickle we are in - without being overtaken by reactivity. As Kritee notes, without the softening that comes from honestly acknowledging the full range of our experience, we lose access to the clarity, creativity, and compassion required to respond meaningfully. This inner tenderness is not a retreat from action. It is a condition for wise action. I hope this conversation affirms the quiet and often unrecognized work of feeling deeply in the service of both individual healing and collective well being. With love and care,
Margaret
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