Dear Friends,
I’ve been thinking about what it means to bear witness to a world on fire.
The flames are everywhere—climate crises intensifying, social fabrics fraying, democracies under pressure. Some days, I find myself overwhelmed by the smoke, choking on headlines, retreating into the false comfort of numbness.
But I’m learning that bearing witness isn’t about drowning in despair. It’s about staying present even when every instinct screams to look away. It’s about feeling the heat without being consumed by it.
Before solutions, before strategies, before hope even, there must be this honest reckoning with what is.
When we truly bear witness, something unexpected happens. We discover that within the act of seeing clearly—without flinching—lies a profound form of action. Before solutions, before strategies, before hope even, there must be this honest reckoning with what is.
I’ve noticed that my most meaningful connections arise when I share this space of bearing witness with others. When we acknowledge together: yes, this is happening. Yes, it hurts. Yes, we are afraid. And still, we remain.
In bearing witness collectively, we create tiny islands of sanity. We remember we’re not alone in feeling what we feel. From this genuine place, our actions gain authenticity and power.
So I invite you to join me in this practice. Let’s bear witness together—not to fix immediately, not to comfort prematurely, but to be fully present with our burning world. To hold space for grief and rage and confusion. To trust that wisdom emerges not despite the fire, but through our willingness to face it.
With you in the flames,
devon hase
This was originally shared in devon and nico hase’s June newsletter. It is published here with permission.
