By Gina Geoghegan
(Photo by Henrik Dønnestad on Unsplash)
In a recent Atmos newsletter, editor-in-chief Willow Defebaugh (2024) stated:
“We are all tasked with living in two worlds: the one we now find ourselves a part of and the one we are attempting to metamorphose it into. And while the distance between the two might seem overwhelmingly vast at this moment, that’s all the more reason to be the bridge—to not only fight the battles of the present but to embody our regenerative visions of the future” (Defebaugh, 2024).
It’s a strange moment to be alive. It really is. There is so much despair, yet there is so much beauty. How are we supposed to be in both of these truths at once? How do we live in both? For me, the answer was education. When I applied to the Communication for Development Masters at Malmö University a year and a half ago, it wasn’t clear to me that this was a strategic survival move for me. The overwhelming sense of sadness I (like most of us) carry around became too much, and my application, I now understand, was a form of therapy. It wasn’t just that I wanted to do something good. As it turns out, it was to create a hyperfocussed channel through which to articulate my sorrow, grief, curiosity and love. I hadn’t realised quite how much I had started to pull away from reality in recent years or how reduced my news intake had become. How protective of my family and private space I was (to the point of isolation in many ways), spinning a cocoon around us to shelter from the pain of the world.
Having to engage with deeply unnerving subjects at university, both historical and current, re-opened my eyes and showed me that I was able to live in this duality without fragmenting myself. It is a great privilege to be given the time and the capacity to deepen one’s knowledge, dive into subjects that interest you, and learn from very clever people. Reading and re-learning, with gratitude, has secured my position in the landslide, which is our place in the world right now. I’ve got something to hold onto. Not much, but it’s a start.
The question that all the collaborators in this blog have been asking is, what role, if any, does development have (now and) in the future? The answer must be the same as for me as an individual. We have the tools with which we can hold space, collaboratively build bridges, share stories, weave tapestries of friendship and boldly envision a future filled with justice, solidarity, equality and love for all beings, all our kin, on this shared planet. If we don’t use them…
References
Defebaugh, W. (2024, [22.11.2024]). Atmos Newsletter. Newsletter received by email.
I really like how this post captures the mix of hope and heaviness we all feel. Using education to reconnect and channel those emotions into something meaningful is such a great perspective.