[Unedited] Joanna Macy with Krista Tippett

Mortality

Joanna Macy reflects on the profound impact of mortality on life experiences. She shares how working on Rilke's book during her husband's death helped her embrace the beauty in mortality, stating that death can deepen our understanding of life and ourselves 1. Macy finds solace in Rilke's words, which suggest that death is an integral part of life, making us more alive 1.

The great secret of death, and perhaps its deepest connection with us is this: in taking from us a being we have loved and venerated, death does not wound us without, at the same time, lifting us toward a more perfect understanding of this being and of ourselves.

--- Joanna Macy

She also finds comfort in the imagery of swans, associating them with her late husband and the graceful acceptance of death 2.

   

Connections

Macy discusses finding purpose and connection amidst life's challenges. She emphasizes the importance of embracing both beauty and terror, suggesting that every experience contributes to our growth 3. This perspective is reflected in her translation of Rilke's poetry, which has become a theme for the deep ecology movement 3.

Let everything happen to you, beauty and terror, just keep going, no feeling is final.

--- Joanna Macy

Macy also highlights the transient nature of life, likening it to a fragrant, ephemeral song that underscores the beauty of impermanence 4.