Mind & Life

Karen O'Brien – Why We Matter

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In this episode, Wendy speaks with professor, writer, and thought leader Karen O’Brien. Karen is an expert on the human and social dimensions of climate change, and her work helps us understand the role of the mind and worldview in how we create and respond to environmental change, and global change more broadly. This conversation covers many topics, including:

  • her path into environmental studies and understanding how humans respond to climate change;
  • consequences of a reductionist worldview;
  • understanding quantum social change;
  • entanglement, and relationships as a fundamental aspect of our world;
  • the importance of ethics and values in a system;
  • our power as individuals to change systems;
  • exploring causality and challenging the 'single cause';
  • why the way we show up matters;
  • how contemplative practice can help us embody transformative change;
  • envisioning a new paradigm;
  • Indigenous wisdom and interconnected views of nature;
  • emotional difficulties in deeply accepting an interconnected reality;
  • acknowledging and working with eco-grief and eco-anxiety;
  • living with uncertainty;
  • challenges in measuring transformative change;
  • art as a lens to understanding;
  • and the many possibilities for scaling change into societies.

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    Mind & LifeBy Mind & Life Institute
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