Coexist

Theresa Rose Sebastian,
Co-Founder of ReEarth Initiative

Coexisting is how our world came to be and we must return to our roots. To coexist is to live in harmony with all that is, to ensure sustainability in all terms; standard of living, happiness, health, wealth, and community. Joy, sustenance, community, justice - these are the benefits of coexisting.

To coexist in today’s world, you must fight for the land you walk on, you must fight for the water that sustains you, you must fight for the beings that surround this land with you, and you must fight for all the people that share your home and not the few.

For far too long, we have lived in disharmony, benefitting from the exploitation of our brethren and our companions. We must return to our roots and re-learn how to live in harmony.

“The land is sacred; it belongs to the countless numbers who are dead, the few who are living, and the multitudes of those yet to be born” - Indigenous Penan Elder.

From the very flowing rivers of water to the saplings waiting for their morning ration of sunlight, to the winged beings of the air and the gracious beings on the ground, to us humans, we all call this planet home. Coexisting is the only just option.

(1) Indigenous people and nature: a tradition of conservation

(2) Adivasis in India: Co-existence and stewardship

(3) Lessons on coexistence with the environment from two tribal districts in Odisha

(4) The Medicine Wheel: Environmental Decision-Making Process of Indigenous Peoples

(5) Cottongrass Summer

Xiye Bastida and Ayisha Siddiqa embrace after delivering moving speeches in front of an audience of thousands at the Global Climate Strike in Glasgow during COP 26.