I was asked today in an NVC Academy interview Q&A session: "How is Nonviolent Communication (NVC) nature informed?"
I love the question; it stayed with me after the session was over. After having a bit more time to ponder, I wish I would answered more directly that "Needs Are Natural!"
We all were born needy of the resources provided by Mother Earth. Without the Earth, there is no us to even talk about.
Needs are a foundational component of NVC. My favorite definition of needs originated by NVC Trainer Julie Greene: "needs are life energy in us seeking fulfillment." Furthermore, I see life as an expression of the "dream of the Earth," the concept coined by Thomas Berry. So, by extension, the Earth is dreaming us in every moment through our needs.
We experience sensations/feelings resulting from the level of satisfaction of our needs. Through the Earth's reflective self-awareness expressed in humans, we are empowered to choose different strategies to meet our needs.
Sadly, many of us have lost our connection to Mother Earth and choose strategies that are self-destructive. Realizing that NVC is one way to acknowledge our belonging to the Earth can inspire conversations that will help us connect to life, each other and the environment in which we innately belong. And NVC can help us to navigate strategies that consider everyone's needs, including the "more-than-human" (David Abram).
Marshall Rosenberg, creator of NVC, expressed this concept in the excerpt from the poem "From Now On":
"From now on, I choose to have my actions flow from connection with nature
and to direct my attention where it supports this flow."
I imagine Marshall Rosenberg hinting at needs being natural expressions of life, and so, of course we'd direct our attention toward selecting strategies that support the flow of connection with nature.
"Needs are Natural" is shown symbolicaly by the Earth-Rooted Needs Flower below.
Please coment below on how this post lands with you.
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