There’s an Ojibwa understanding that when we die, we find ourselves on the beach of a vast lake. Here we see the footprints of those who have died before us - people who have crossed the lake, leaving the Village of the Living and journeying to the Village of the Dead. The newly dead cannot make that journey alone, however. They need help from both sides. Those in the Village of the Living must build for their dead a canoe out of love to propel out into the lake with the energy of our grief. Those in the Village of the Dead reach out and receive that canoe, using the energy of their joy to pull it towards them, celebrating the person’s arrival with the same intensity as the living mourn the person’s departure.

Action has meaning only in relationship, and without understanding relationship, action on any level will only breed conflict. The understanding of relationship is infinitely more important than the search for any plan of action.