Does Nature Have a Purpose in Our Lives? | Ruby McConnell Event 1097 Likes1 application

July 2, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. Pacific | Virtual Event

Does Nature Have a Purpose in Our Lives? Exploring Our Relationships to the Land

with Ruby McConnell

• A Story Begins Beneath the Pines

  On a crisp Oregon morning, where mist clings to moss like memory to skin, a woman kneels in the forest. Her hands are calloused—not from machines, but from moments: lifting stones, tracing riverbeds, planting stories in the soil. Her name is Ruby McConnell, and like the earth she studies, she holds layers.

  “The land doesn’t speak in words,” she says, “but in the silence between them.”

  This July 2, Ruby invites us into a conversation not just about nature—but about ourselves. Through Oregon Humanities’ Conversation Project, she asks us to face a question as old as the wind and urgent as wildfire:

  Does nature have a purpose in our lives?

  🌱  A Conversation Between Earth and Soul

  Nature is more than backdrop—it is the original collaborator, healer, teacher. But in a world wired for speed and separation, we often forget. This virtual event brings together Oregonians and beyond to reflect on how our beliefs about the land shape our policies, politics, and personal lives.

  McConnell, a registered geologist and environmental author, blends science with soul. Her lens is wide, but her focus is personal.

  🪵 Building Bridges with Dirt and Dialogue

  “To love the land is not to own it, but to belong to it.”
  — Ruby McConnell

  From logging towns to high desert trails, Oregonians have long wrestled with competing values around land use. This event offers space to unpack these tensions, not to divide, but to deepen understanding.

  This isn’t just an environmental talk—it’s a reclamation of connection.

  🌍  Who Should Join?

  • Anyone questioning their place in the natural world

  • Educators, activists, policy shapers

  • Outdoor lovers seeking more than recreation—reconnection

  • Youth and elders alike—because wisdom flows both ways

  🔗 Explore more upcoming events with Oregon Humanities Conversation Project 💬 Call to Action

  🌲 Free to attend. Rich in spirit.
  Join us July 2, 2025 at 10 a.m. Pacific for this vital virtual gathering.