Planet-centred values, youth and identities - ESA RN 36 Conference in Rome

For a few days in autumnal November, I spent some time in Rome. I went to the ESA RN36 Midterm Conference titled “Top-down and bottom-up dynamics of social transformations: Agencies, Processes, and Trajectories”, which was organized at the University of International Studies of Rome (UNINT).

Once again, I walked through the ancient, eternal city, which offers much more than just archaeological finds and historical artifacts. It is a living organism, nourished by underground streams. Through its many trees pulses a feminine principle that has been suppressed and neglected over the centuries, yet in the current wave of change is gaining new momentum. The city’s ethereal layer is infused with the element of water, calling us to attune our emotional whirlpools and to balance the creative forces of the feminine and masculine qualities within us. And the trees once again reveal themselves to me as protagonists in the play of collective attunement, connecting human beings with earthly and cosmic shifts.

The city is full of beautiful trees. One evening, after an intense conference session, I felt their strength and heard their whisper and call. Before falling asleep, I sent them a small golden sphere of love from my inner creative space, which is linked to the shared network of thoughts and emotions of all beings on Earth. I watched how they passed it among their crowns, how playfully they carried it across the city. In the end, they handed it back into my hands and whispered that I should place it in my heart space.

And from my heart space, the little sphere began to roll downward, all the way to the roots and further into the mycorrhizal network—the Earth’s internet. And suddenly, I became the network itself, connected with everything. What a wonderful gift, what a profound experience.

The conference also offered me the opportunity to once again speak about planetary consciousness, planetary interconnectedness, and values. In co-authorship with Dr. Matej Makarovič and Maruša Gorišek, we prepared a contribution that addresses the ambitious question of how young people – often regarded as the pillars of our future society – can help shape a more sustainable and cohesive society. Confronting current ecological and related political, economic, and social challenges requires systemic thinking and calls for cooperative transnational political stewardship. Nevertheless, the leverage points begin with individuals.

The research goes beyond the domain of sustainability alone, placing it in the context of planetary well-being, which does not focus solely on human needs but treats humans as an integral part of the broader Earth system. The study reconceptualizes the issue of development by taking into account the needs for regeneration, cyclical progress, and long-term thinking.