IN SEARCH OF WISE LEADERS

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Who is leading who in the world today? How have we let this come this far, that a 16-year old like Greta Thunberg has to hold the leaders of the world to account, whilst the scientific evidence for climate change has been on the table for nearly 50 years? 

The climate crisis is staring us in the face, but ironically it is only the tip of the iceberg: In sight and tangible, but to understand what we can do about it, we need to take a look at the less tangible stuff under the waterline . As scientists look at the complexity of the planetary condition, sociologists point at the underlying problems of our societal condition, ultimately we have to accept that underneath all of this is the crisis of our human condition. We, individuals, leaders big and small, are ultimately the root cause of the problem, with our behaviors and the daily decisions we make.  The exciting thing is that this also means that we are the solution. 

This is exactly the message of the Wisdom Keepers in our film DOWN to EARTH. It's all about how we walk our path . The question is: What do we use as our guidance? In the years my family and I lived with the Native Americans, we discovered that for thousands of years they have used the same guiding principles, the Seven Grandfather Teachings. Every child was raised with these principles and every leader had to completely master all seven. As a leadership coach I was intrigued by these Seven Teachings from day one and over past the years I have experimented with applying them in our modern corporate world. The results have been truly stunning.The world might have changed but the human spirit cannot be relinquished. It defines who we are and it's the source of the transformation the world needs now. This ancient wisdom, these universal teachings bring us back into the core of our essence and will help create the strong wise leaders Greta and all her fellows are calling for. 

Want to learn more about the Seven Teachings and how they can help you to become a truly wise leader, participate in this unique Masterclass. Inspired by ancient leadership principles translated into down-to-earth tools will help you navigate your own & collective wisdom.

RE-EMPOWERING THE FEMININE

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Today is International Women's Day, a day that celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women worldwide.

This year, instead of simply celebrating female achievements and hallmarks, let's also celebrate female energy and its qualities in itself. Or rather: feminine qualities, as feminine is not synonymous with female - and masculine is not synonymous with male.

The westernized world is built on masculine energy. Our politics, media and businesses, amongst other things, all follow masculine structures. This does not only mean that men play a more prominent role in these spheres, it also means that the way we have built our system is based on codes of conduct that are considered masculine: analytical knowledge, individualism, power, competition and linear practices. Feminine energy, on the other hand, revolves around intuitive wisdom, co-operation, inclusiveness and circular practices.

Throughout most of our history, masculine qualities have been considered as 'superior' and 'stronger' than feminine traits. As a result, many women have been living their lives like men, constantly running towards something instead of giving themselves permission to let go and tap into their own true nature. Opening up to your own vulnerability however does not mean giving up power, it means being empowered. Making the analogy with nature, we recognize a mountain as being a symbol of power. It's steady, it's enormous, it's daunting and hard to scale. But now consider the flowing river. It's not sturdy, it's not so daunting, so it might not seem 'powerful' to us. But in 10,000 years, the river carves that mountain. That could be considered feminine power.

Nowaten explained how, traditionally, in his Native American culture only the men could become chiefs. But it was the women who looked after the boys who would later become the leaders of their community. It was the women who raised them, taught them morals and values, watched the development of their connection to nature and their intuitive intelligence. They were the ones that told the elsewhere: “Keep an eye on this one. He shows promise ”. They were the rivers carving the mountains.

In our current society these roles are no longer this traditional. Women can be 'chiefs' and men can raise the children. The shift that is lacking, however, is for men and women to take on these roles from their own 'self', as opposed to, from the energy that is traditionally associated with them.

For communities to be sustainable, the two energies need to be balanced. In the same way, we need to acknowledge both energies within ourselves for us to be balanced as individuals. We are all both masculine and feminine. The one cannot create a lasting society without the other. This may almost sound revolutionary to us, but it is a natural fact for the Wisdom Keepers in  DOWN to EARTH .

The campaign theme for International Women's Day 2020 is 'Think Equal, Build Smart, Innovate for Change'. Re-empowering the feminine energy might become the biggest transformational shift in the history of mankind. Re-connecting the mind with the heart.

Let's be brave enough to acknowledge both sides within ourselves, and see how it empowers us to change the world we live in. Stop convincing the world from the mind and start operating from the heart. That way we can all be leaders within our own spheres of influence. We can all be worthy Earth Keepers.

EVERY DAY IS EARTH DAY

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By Rolf Winters

These days always leave me somewhat puzzled, as I think these matters are equally important on all 365 days a year. In a world where these seemingly natural elements of society have shifted to the background, however, it is important to specifically highlight them to bring back communal consciousness. In the meantime, let us not forget: every day is Earth Day.

The theme for this year's official Earth Day campaign is 'Environmental and Climate Literacy'. We see education as something being delivered to us in schools, through books and teachers. In the same vein, literacy for us means being able to read  books and texts . If we develop our climate literacy, we would therefore be capable of understanding the academic concepts pertaining to the subject. 

If we look at education and literacy in a slightly different way, we see something else: nearly all the Earth Keepers in DOWN to EARTH are illiterate when it comes to our definition of the term. But when it comes to knowing about nature, no one is more literate or educated than they are. They can 'read' the environment around them flawlessly, without ever having touched a book on the subject ..

What's important to take away from this is that learning about the environment should not just be about learning to reproduce the concepts, it should be about empowering ourselves and others to take our responsibility towards the Earth. Only when we fully understand our position in this interconnected world, and comprehend how our actions always have a consequence somewhere else, even if we do not directly see the effect, we will take charge in using our actions for the good. When we tap into this knowledge, we will realize that if we take better care of the planet, she will better care for us.

A few months ago I facilitated a dialogue after a screening of DOWN to EARTH. Most responses from the audience were positive, however, one man vocalized that seeing the film made him feel powerless and lost. He said he felt like Don Quixote, an imbecile fighting a useless battle. His comment and analogy made me think. Later I realized that the answer to his questions were in the question itself. Don Quixote tried to fight forty windmills, thinking they were giants. He created an imaginary enemy, whereas he would have been better off directing his energy toward another goal. 

After seeing DOWN to EARTH some viewers feel daunted about fighting an enormous giant: 'the system'. However, what the Earth Keepers try to tell us is to aim our energy at something different: ourselves. We are the ones that can bring about a positive change. We have to take the initiative to do something, no matter how big or small. We cannot wait for the others to deal with our giants. 

Nowaten says in the film: “… when you realize that you're not satisfied with the way things are, you start being a  seeker . Not looking  for somebody else's truth, but your own. ” 

Every day is Earth Day. So what are YOU going to do?