Before this class, I was always the person to fall asleep during contemplative practices. With my head falling to one side and my inability to leave the relaxed mindset, I had never gained much from these experiences. However, after consistently participating in contemplative practices, I have noticed a change in my ability to engage. My first observation was a feeling of groundedness. I could feel my presence on the Earth through each one of my toes and the soles of my feet. At first, this was just a physical observation. However, after repeated practices, I noticed that this feeling of groundedness spread throughout my body and changed how I perceived my presence in the classroom. With my mind both empty and full of belonging, I realized that as a small part of a large system, I still have the ability to drive change. 

This realization of my connectedness has allowed me to understand the course material better. Originally, I was quizzical about the impact of inner work. In my first blog post, I argued that inner work was important, but not the ultimate factor in mitigating climate change. However, after these practices, I am still passionate about taking action, but I also have a new feeling of belonging on Earth. I feel as if I am actually a part of the world, not just an outside actor attempting to change events. 

After this individual realization, I began to think about how the concept of inner work can be extrapolated to larger systems. In their piece, “How Democracies Die,” Levitsky and Ziblatt argue that politicians take advantage of our democratic institutions to gain power. However, this death of democracy does not come from individual quests for power, but extreme political polarization. In order to preserve our political system, inner work may be necessary. If others had an experience similar to mine, we might be able to close cultural gaps between parties and unite to spread power equitably. This would protect our democratic systems, but also provide people with a new form of terror management. In managing death, people tend to segregate towards those who hold similar values. However, when gaining an understanding of the world’s interconnectedness, perhaps people can understand how their death will have meaning in our intricate world system, leading to a stronger sense of community and united forms of terror management, both key steps in addressing climate change. 

Source: https://earthinginstitute.net/grounding-and-awareness-of-groundedness/