To be honest, I struggle a little with the focus on self in ‘Wild Geese’, and this wild idea that we supposedly don’t have to be ‘good’. But I think many people in EA could do with leaning in to these sentiments a bit more; putting a bit more of a focus on caring for and accepting themselves. And while I do think it is honourable and right to strive towards being ‘good’, I think it’s also true that we don’t have to be ‘good’ to matter – we each have intrinsic worth which is valuable no matter what impact we have on other people. So I hope you all go and hug your soft animal bodies.
Two poems which I find especially helpful are:
Maya Angelou’s ‘A Brave and Startling Truth’, and Mary Oliver’s ‘Wild Geese’.
To be honest, I struggle a little with the focus on self in ‘Wild Geese’, and this wild idea that we supposedly don’t have to be ‘good’. But I think many people in EA could do with leaning in to these sentiments a bit more; putting a bit more of a focus on caring for and accepting themselves. And while I do think it is honourable and right to strive towards being ‘good’, I think it’s also true that we don’t have to be ‘good’ to matter – we each have intrinsic worth which is valuable no matter what impact we have on other people. So I hope you all go and hug your soft animal bodies.
+100 Wild Geese. Thanks for putting up these poems, really enjoyed them.