Gillian Florence Sanger

I’ve long been an advocate for the Earth. As a door canvasser for Greenpeace, I spoke to countless people on front porches about sustainable forestry, the melting Arctic, and the impacts of genetically modified foods. I’ve marched against Monsanto and voted for the Green Party more times than I can count—and I recently published a children’s book to help the planet’s smallest humans connect mindfully and meaningfully with nature. But in 2019, something began to shift.

The 2024 U.S. election is over. Former President Donald Trump will return to the White House. For some, the news brings up fear, anger, and hopelessness. For others, joy, hope, and cause for celebration are at the forefront. There are also those who feel indifferent or neutral, waking up to sip their morning coffee with the same feelings towards their country—and the world—that they carried in the days and weeks preceding. I sit drinking hot cacao in Sweden, myself a Canadian.

I have often aligned myself with others based on their opinions and beliefs. While this approach may seem sound, time and reflection have led me to understand that like-mindedness is better found in how a person thinks than what they think. As someone who resonates strongly with the black sheep archetype, the past few years have been a considerable period of growth and outgrowth.