A beautiful reflection from Emily Stancil, one of Legacy Leadership’s 2024 Emerging Leaders
This summer I've felt so much gratitude to be in a space and time where I feel empowered with a sense of understanding and passion in connection to my inner self, the people in my life, the Earth and the communal experience that connects all of us.
The egocentric and capitalistic society that we live in normalizes so many harmful and destructive decisions that are so counterproductive to the communal health and coexistence of the life on our planet.
I'm so grateful that I'm having an experience in my twenties where as an adult I'm learning to reframe my view of the world and recognize how the Earth naturally provides for all of its life in ways that we were never taught and we never take the time to honor, because we're living in a society that constantly pushes us to work harder and work against each other.
It's a really powerful awakening to recognize that the way we interact with each other in society is not the way it has to be.
There are infinite possibilities for what our world could be and our individual choices and beliefs have a direct impact on the state of the world around us.
There is enough land and resources for everyone if we are willing to live simply and prioritize communal well-being over individual well-being.
Your actions are more powerful than you realize.
The small interactions and decisions we make on a daily basis are not isolated from the grand scheme of the world we're living in.
All of the small, unimportant parts of you speak to your values and what kind of world vou want to live in. I am on a continuous journey to reflect on my own impact on the world - the way I spend my time, the consumption I'm contributing to, the way I allocate the small amount of money and resources to my name, the way I treat myself, other people, and other life forms.
I'm committed to recognizing my own privilege and doing everything in my power to make sure every living being is supported and provided for in order for us to all exist peacefully reimagining a world where we can all learn and experience the beauty of being alive without having to prove our worth.
for context, I'm working at an anti-bias, nature centered preschool in East Atlanta that teaches young children about their innate connections with the Earth, honoring the long held influences of African and Indigenous communities! watching the children interact with the Earth and each other has taught me so much and really changed the way I view the world.
Emily Stancil with her Executive, Rukia Rogers of The Highlander School, Summer ‘24.
