For Dr. John Hausdoerffer the question of “what kind of ancestor do you want to be?” presents an opportunity in a time of crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has, starkly, reminded us that all things are connected across species, cultures, continents and generations. This tragedy reminds us that the health of “the other” is the health of the self, erasing boundaries that have held back the great human capacity to care for human and natural communities around the world.
The question of “what kind of ancestor do you want to be” stretches beyond how we individually want to be remembered by our descendants. It is about the systems that we set in motion, every moment of every day. Just like the flap of a butterfly’s wing sets off a hurricane far away in space and time, each of our actions connects people and places across time and space.
Join Dr. Hausdoerffer to explore how the question of “what kind of ancestor do you want to be?” calls us to see ourselves already as ancestors and to ask our own ancestors as well as our elders, contemporaries, children and imagined descendants: How are we to live, together?
Our virtual programs are graciously sponsored by Alpine Bank. Colorado Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities have also provided funding as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act economic stabilization plan of 2020.
