What Are the Children of the Future Asking Us To Do?

by Andrea O’Ferrall

I’ve been going out to farmer’s markets and other local events to engage with people about their power over the future.

It started out as the idea to create costumes to join climate actions focused on protecting the oceans and forests. I got together with some friends to make costumes similar to those of Extinction Rebellion’s Red Rebels, but in this case, one in green hues and another in blues. We would be able to wear whatever we chose in these palettes, with the headdresses tying the group together.

We waited for an action to join, some protest we could amplify. There were none.

What if we gave out seeds, I suggested.

My compatriots thought that was a lovely idea. I ordered five pounds of pollinator seeds from a farm supply company and we used old envelopes and return envelopes from junk mail to make packets.

At this point my friend Bridgid took charge. She researched the schedules of all the farmer’s markets in town. She sent emails and coordinated schedules. Our first day as Earth Beings or Salish Sea Sisters, was May 1st, May Day. We went to the West Seattle Farmer’s market.

The reception was delightfully warm as we didn’t ask for anything. We just gave out seeds, explained why pollinators were important and how planting the seeds would be one small action they could take to give back to the Earth. I talked a a lot about the entomologist Doug Tallamy and recommended his books Nature’s Best Hope and Bringing Nature Home.

We looked forward to doing it again.

I went on to work on other things.

Bridgid went on to create Seeds For the Heart, otherwise known as provocative questions.

The next time we went out, we told people we were giving out two types of seeds, one to plant in the ground and the other to plant in their heart.

Here are the four questions to choose from:

What are the children of the future asking you to do?

What kind of ancestor do you want to be?

What does the Earth require of us if we want to continue to live on it? — Wendell Berry

What legacy do you want to leave?

Each question is on a strip of paper. Each question comes with ‘planting instructions.’

Sow this Seed for the Earth in Your Heart. Nurture the deep meaning of this question daily. Watch how it sprouts and grows in the dark stillness and love in your heart. Follow its wisdom. The children of the future will thank you.

Then Bridgid in her soft and lilting Scottish accent says:

I invite you to choose one of these questions to plant in your heart. Nurture the deep meaning of the question daily. Watch how it sprouts and grows in the stillness and love in your heart. Follow its wisdom.

These questions are not easy to sit with, not easy to answer, but all of our futures depend on us being willing to open our hearts to them and seek our hearts’ wisdom and guidance. What I hope is that what sprouts and grows in your heart is your own unique way of speaking up for the Earth. We all need to speak up for the Earth as the Earth has no voice.

People breathe deeply. Sometimes they cry. Sometimes they start to answer and we say, it’s okay, we trust you. You don’t need to tell us now.

Feel free to find your way to use provocative questions. Choose one yourself and see what grows. Share them with others if you feel so moved.

Let’s change minds through hearts.

Andrea

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This post was previously published on MEDIUM.COM.

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