An Invitation to Meet Reality –
When we say “facing what is,” we mean it as both an acknowledgment and an invitation. It’s a way of recognising the devastation, uncertainty, and instability that the climate crisis—and the systems that fuel it—are bringing into our lives.
The Systems That Cannot Last
Right now, our global civilisation is built in ways that cannot last:
Ecologically, we consume Earth’s resources faster than they can be renewed, and we generate more waste than the Earth can absorb.
Economically, we rely on fragile, interconnected financial systems that depend on endless growth. If growth slows, economies falter. But if growth continues unchecked, ecosystems collapse even faster.
Socially, wealth and power keep concentrating in the hands of a few, while billions live with little security and almost no political influence. This widening gap fuels unrest and conflict, especially as ecological and economic pressures intensify.
So—this is what we mean by facing what is.
Holding Certainty and Uncertainty
The phrase is a reminder that we do know some things with certainty: gravity pulls objects toward Earth, water freezes at 0°C and plants convert sunlight into chemical energy through photosynthesis. But we also know that much remains uncertain: how exactly climate, economies, and societies will respond in the years ahead.
“Facing what is” has two directions:
To ourselves: “Welcome, self, to what is real, both what we know and what we don’t.”
To reality itself: “Welcome, reality, known and unknown, into our awareness.”
Holding both certainty and uncertainty together, without denial or despair, is one of the most important skills we can practice. It allows us to live with both courage and wisdom, no matter how the future unfolds.
That’s why we say: face what you know, and face what you don’t. Only what is faced can be changed.
A Practice of Facing What is
Contemplation is a way of meeting reality directly, without filters, judgments, or mental chatter. It helps us step outside our automatic habits of critiquing, analysing, or ignoring what we don’t want to see.
This is what contemplative prayer and meditation are about. It’s why the practice feels so difficult for those of us addicted to our own thoughts and opinions. But this difficulty is also what makes it transformative. Contemplation is the narrow path few choose to walk.
When we set aside our judgmental grid, reality itself—what some call Ultimate Reality or Truth—can finally break through. Our self-absorption no longer blocks the way. What is real stands revealed.
