As someone who hasn’t lost a parent, but has close friends who have recently, this was an extremely emotional read. I feel like I have a better foundation to understand grief based on my ~climate anxiety~ (or whatever you’d like to call it). Thank you for sharing this vulnerable and touching piece.
Oh my, gosh! I resonate with this so much. I lost my dad suddenly almost five years ago and that grief so often intertwines with my climate grief. I feel the strongest longing for my childhood, when it felt like he and the world would always be there. I also find myself experiencing a lot of numbness around his death that translates to a pretending that "all is fine", climate and otherwise... Thank you, both for sharing your stories. Sending you love ❤️🌎
I was so saddened to read about your losses, Annisa and Sophie. My mother passed away 7 years ago. She was our rock and my champion.
I miss playing Scrabble with my mom. Those games were proving grounds and we played hard, laughed even harder. She was an English major and left articles for me to read with my morning breakfast growing up – I read them all. All the books she gave me, on the other hand, yeah, no, 😊 haven’t finished all of them. She signed and dated books ‘…with love…’ when she gave them to us.
A memory I hold dear: She *FORBID* it to rain anymore while consoling me during a damaging and prolonged weather disaster (Irene 2011 East Coast). She was 1,400 miles away but got here by the end of the week to help. It did rain more, but somehow didn’t matter as much. We waded through it.
I’m a futurist and dread drawing parallels between losing my mom and our planet. Earth’s ability to support future generations is in jeopardy. My mom is still supporting us from beyond. I see a lot of my mom in our older teenage daughter who will also – I am sure – forbid it to keep raining someday…
Thank you for sharing. Ya’ll are truly kind and do give me hope.
This was super helpful and super poignant. I lost my mom when I was 28 years old. I had already been working in areas of environmentalism and climate for about 6 years when it happened. Going through that personal grief journey is so similar to that of which we feel with the planet. With my personal grief, I eventually got to the point where (after panic attacks, multiple doctor visits, contemplated suicide, therapy) I said to myself this grief is either going to kill me or motivate me. And I chose the later. There is much similarity to that with how we feel with the climate crisis and have to remind ourselves daily that the "fight" however in which we define it, is always going to be the better option than giving up, giving in. Choosing to "fight" doesnt mean we don't need breaks, have to take it slow despite what others are telling us to protect our own wellbeing, but again, as much as we can keep this grief journey as a tool for doing the good, important, right work, I think the better off we will all be.
Our culture chronically paves over loss, and yet it's such a profound and spiritual means to value our lives. Loss is very centering, along with being sad and lonesome.
When my father was dying, quickly, I tried to savor the last month of simply sitting, and occasionally chatting. I was grateful for this experience because my mother is fading away slowly into dementia.
Each death teaches us more about life.
Sorrow is so slow.
Capitalism would have us fill that loss with any number of petroleum products. Sociopathic capitalist mindsets, and systems, leave no space for quiet contemplation and the profoundness of sorrow.
To say that I ‘liked’ reading this would be a gross understatement. Annisa’s sharing of her grief and its path is, I hope, both healing for her and instructive to us. As she examines her life and her emotions, she discovers a clear connection between her personal loss and our shared impending loss of Mother Earth.
Thanks for a deep-reaching text. The experienced climate psychologist Rosemary Randall has also discussed the similarities in grief around climate crisis and losing a parent. For a discussion which features that, those interested can listen to: https://climatechangeandhappiness.com/episodes/season-2-episode-5-on-the-birth-of-climate-therapy-with-rosemary-randall
Super interesting. Thanks Panu!
As someone who hasn’t lost a parent, but has close friends who have recently, this was an extremely emotional read. I feel like I have a better foundation to understand grief based on my ~climate anxiety~ (or whatever you’d like to call it). Thank you for sharing this vulnerable and touching piece.
Oh my, gosh! I resonate with this so much. I lost my dad suddenly almost five years ago and that grief so often intertwines with my climate grief. I feel the strongest longing for my childhood, when it felt like he and the world would always be there. I also find myself experiencing a lot of numbness around his death that translates to a pretending that "all is fine", climate and otherwise... Thank you, both for sharing your stories. Sending you love ❤️🌎
Thanks for sharing! Profoundly moving and relevant.
I was so saddened to read about your losses, Annisa and Sophie. My mother passed away 7 years ago. She was our rock and my champion.
I miss playing Scrabble with my mom. Those games were proving grounds and we played hard, laughed even harder. She was an English major and left articles for me to read with my morning breakfast growing up – I read them all. All the books she gave me, on the other hand, yeah, no, 😊 haven’t finished all of them. She signed and dated books ‘…with love…’ when she gave them to us.
A memory I hold dear: She *FORBID* it to rain anymore while consoling me during a damaging and prolonged weather disaster (Irene 2011 East Coast). She was 1,400 miles away but got here by the end of the week to help. It did rain more, but somehow didn’t matter as much. We waded through it.
I’m a futurist and dread drawing parallels between losing my mom and our planet. Earth’s ability to support future generations is in jeopardy. My mom is still supporting us from beyond. I see a lot of my mom in our older teenage daughter who will also – I am sure – forbid it to keep raining someday…
Thank you for sharing. Ya’ll are truly kind and do give me hope.
Happy Mother’s Day to All Moms,
Sidney (Ramsey)
My Father died at the age of 29...and My Mother when she was 31!! from Trevor in New Zealand.I
So sorry to hear how young they both were when they died, Trevor. Thanks for continuing to read along with us!
Dad died in 1937 and Mom died in 1941!! from Trevor.
This was super helpful and super poignant. I lost my mom when I was 28 years old. I had already been working in areas of environmentalism and climate for about 6 years when it happened. Going through that personal grief journey is so similar to that of which we feel with the planet. With my personal grief, I eventually got to the point where (after panic attacks, multiple doctor visits, contemplated suicide, therapy) I said to myself this grief is either going to kill me or motivate me. And I chose the later. There is much similarity to that with how we feel with the climate crisis and have to remind ourselves daily that the "fight" however in which we define it, is always going to be the better option than giving up, giving in. Choosing to "fight" doesnt mean we don't need breaks, have to take it slow despite what others are telling us to protect our own wellbeing, but again, as much as we can keep this grief journey as a tool for doing the good, important, right work, I think the better off we will all be.
Thanks so much for this article.
Our culture chronically paves over loss, and yet it's such a profound and spiritual means to value our lives. Loss is very centering, along with being sad and lonesome.
When my father was dying, quickly, I tried to savor the last month of simply sitting, and occasionally chatting. I was grateful for this experience because my mother is fading away slowly into dementia.
Each death teaches us more about life.
Sorrow is so slow.
Capitalism would have us fill that loss with any number of petroleum products. Sociopathic capitalist mindsets, and systems, leave no space for quiet contemplation and the profoundness of sorrow.
Thanks again. Hugs
To say that I ‘liked’ reading this would be a gross understatement. Annisa’s sharing of her grief and its path is, I hope, both healing for her and instructive to us. As she examines her life and her emotions, she discovers a clear connection between her personal loss and our shared impending loss of Mother Earth.