Rituals For Hospicing Dying Systems
In saying goodbye to old systems and practices that once served us, how can we create new rituals that honor and critique them simultaneously?
Reaching beyond green transition, sustainability transformation requires fundamental changes in the society especially in high-income countries. This includes changing our understanding of the way we use environmental resources, our relationship with other species and nature, our economic system and the ways we deal with social (in)justice. Even for those who state they are willing to change, the question remains: how to let go of the lifestyle that we are used to? How to go beyond talks and strategies in trying to deconstruct privilege rooted in unequal systems?
At this year’s Sustainability Research + Innovation / Sustainability Science Days conference, we tested out a new workshop format, developed in collaboration with Rosa Rantanen from Safer Climate Network. The workshop was designed to provide a shared space for academics, practitioners and artists alike to explore explore hospicing of the dying systems related to climate change, biodiversity loss and other sustainability issues, and the process of change required in many industries in order to move away from harming practices.
Many changes that are required are fundamental and deeply connected to people’s livelihood, beliefs, identity and generational experiences. In this workshop, we will facilitated collective imagination to create rituals for hospicing our dying way of life. We started with a guided visualisation to explore how hospicing, death and grief are all natural parts of our systems and processes. If you like, you can try the visualisation at home with the audio below.
Why hospicing?
In reaching for sustainable futures, we often focus on the emergence of new systems - how to nurture them, how to bring them to life, the interventions and the collaborations needed, and how to stabilise them. But what is sometimes overlooked is that for a new system to thrive, an older, obsolete system often needs to be phased out at the same time. This process of decay and system death requires similar attention and consideration, in order to hospice these systems with dignity.
Inspired by Derk Loorbach et al (2007); Cassie Robinson (2019); Berkana Institute (2022)
Hospicing is important, because, as Vanessa Machado reminds us, if we do not let go of these systems we risk to prolong their lifespan and not allow for the new systems that are needed to emerge. We risk staying stuck in finding small solutions that keep us locked in this paradigm. Without letting go of the behaviours, mental models, ways of being and interacting that uphold these systems, we risk focusing on small-scale and short-term solutions. To support the hospicing of outdated systems then, we can look for ways to provide palliative care to alleviate and reduce suffering for the practices, habits, behaviours and processes we need to let go of.
The workshop participants therefore shared systems that need support to decay and phase out. In the workshop together we discussed abstract or enormously complex systems like colonialism and anthropocentric worldviews, alongside more tangible systems like overconsumption and fossil fuels.
Why rituals?
So then, why rituals? Erica Keswin, business strategist and human leadership speaker, argues that rituals can ground us to ourselves, our values, each other, families and colleagues. There is a sense of belonging that is created when performing rituals as well as purpose arising when we connect to what is meaningful to us individually and collectively.
In the context of unsustainable systems, can rituals support us to hospice old ways of working and acting with dignity? To begin imagining and designing such rituals, we explored the following questions and prompts:
3. Reflect
What are the conditions enabling this system, and what needs to be different to allow this system to die with dignity?
4. Rest
What are the actions, in relation to the system, that you can do to put it down and move on?
1. Stop
What practice do you need, or which words do you need to help you stop engaging with or supporting this system?
2. Question
What questions do you need to hospice this system?
Alongside a step-by-step ritual, we also introduced clay as a medium to explore the prompts Stop, Question, Reflect, Rest - a way for participants to think with their hands whilst they discussed the complexities of sustainability transitions. Together with a set of actions, this object would act as a physical anchor for the ritual, reconnecting with the ritual-design process and a visual reminder of the workshop’s discussions.
Along with Safer Climate Network, we hope to iterate on this workshop format. We envisage its value for industries and organisations working in dramatically shifting systems, to support their transition to more sustainable and resilient practices. If you would be interested in discussing a hospicing workshop with us, please get in touch through the button below.
