What we’re about
The Forest Way: Re-visioning Western Outlooks on Nature, Society, and Self
Europeans have lost touch with their roots—with their sense of community and heritage, with their natural environments and mystery traditions.
In their place, we’ve seen the rise of cosmopolitan mindsets, of technocratic regimes, of dictated ‘sameness’ and universalist discourse.
This group is meant for those who wish to reconnect with their roots, rediscovering allegiances to ‘people’ and ‘place,’ and cultivating a love for the European longue durée.
Whether through cultural outings, nature-based activities, or text-centred discussions, we seek to step off the train of homogenising futures to walk a forest path—the ‘way of the woods’ that leads back to our roots and on to an alternate future, there to encounter a new sense of vitality and purpose.
Please join us!
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Terms of Service
By accessing and using Meetup, entering your RSVP, and continuing to attend our events, you agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions.
Disclaimer
In no instance will organisers be held liable to any party for any direct, indirect, consequential, or other damages arising from his or her attendance at one of our events. Attendance is at your own risk. The organiser, co-organiser, host, and Meetup are not responsible for loss, damage, theft, injury to oneself or equipment, allergic reactions, traffic or parking violations, or accidents with your vehicle.
RSVP Etiquette
Some circumstances and venue settings necessitate that we limit the number of attendees. In that case, we’ll create a waiting list for anyone who would like to participate should a space become free.
If you’re unable to attend an event that you’ve registered for, please be courteous in updating your RSVP the night before so as to enable organisers to prepare accordingly, potentially allowing others the opportunity to sign up in your place.
If you mark yourself as attending but fail to turn up, we will record this as a ‘no-show.’ Organisers reserve the right to discontinue membership of those who have accrued two or more ‘no-shows’ for this meetup’s events, or who have remained inactive in the group for more than a year.
Thank you!
Upcoming events (1)
See all- On Western Renewal: The Man Who Planted TreesScott Monument , Edinburgh
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For this event, we’ll be considering Jean Giono’s short story, The Man Who Planted Trees, not just as an appeal for ecological repair and restoration, but also as a call for European cultural and spiritual renewal.
The story is quite short, and can be found here:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1br7c169Iipf9wxZlko9lvwXJlXLNgAIZ/view?usp=sharing
It was also released as an animated short film, which is on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epTqUnKsuUY
We’re interested in what comes to mind as you read and/or listen to the story, and what thoughts and feelings you may have on the themes of Western ‘repair’ and ‘renewal.’ What does it mean to be ‘planting trees’ and what is the ‘forest’ that you’d like to see grow?
Weather permitting, we’ll aim to meet outside for this event.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Sonja and Christopher
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Please note that this will be a joint event with the New Culture Forum Edinburgh (https://www.meetup.com/new-culture-forum-edinburgh-meetup/) Meetup group, with an invitation extended to members of the NCF Locals platform as well.
