“The times are urgent; let us slow down.” —Bayo Akomolafe
This weekend, I took two ten-year-olds tubing on the lake. The weather was perfect. The boat actually started (always a relief). Their laughter echoed over the water as they clung to the inflatable tube, hair flying, joy bursting from every wave. It was one of those moments where the world felt intact, if only for a moment.
While we were out, one of the kids—Ella—was telling us about her new school. At one point she shrugged and said, “Our teachers are always saying, ‘Get your lives together!” She said it so casually, so matter-of-fact. I imagine it’s said in those chaotic moments when a classroom gets loud, and the teacher just needs control. But still… it caught my attention.
Can you imagine a world so disoriented that we are telling children to “get their lives together”? Children—born into ecological collapse, political unrest, pandemic trauma, AI acceleration, and social systems unraveling. Our children are born into a world where even the grown-ups seem to have lost the map, where the so-called “adults in the room” are often dysregulated, defensive, disconnected.
And yet we expect our children to hold it together.
I was talking with a friend who works with teens and asked her what qualities she looks for in adult volunteers. She didn’t even hesitate: “I would give anything for people with regulated nervous systems. Elders who could just be present, grounded, safe.”
What she’s describing isn’t about age. It’s about presence. It’s about adults who don’t collapse under pressure, who can stay in the room when things get messy, who aren’t looking to escape or control, but are willing to hold space for grief, wonder, rage, and joy—all at once.
Children don’t need us to be perfect. They need us to be anchored—not in our opinions, but in our capacity to love. They don’t need us to have all the answers; they need us to be willing to stay with the questions.
They need grown-ups who can co-regulate with the chaos—who can model how to feel fear without becoming cruel, how to face uncertainty without giving up, how to be human without abandoning the sacred.
That’s our work now.
To become the elders they can look to—not just for instruction, but for orientation.
To offer sanctuary not just in our spaces, but in our presence.
To build a world that doesn’t ask children to fix what we refused to face.
What if that is our legacy? Not the world we’ve built, but the presence we become.
We are in this together,
Cameron
Reflection Questions
Who were the grown-ups in your life that gave you a sense of safety and orientation? What qualities did they carry?
In what ways are you being invited to become that kind of steady presence for someone else—especially a young person?
What parts of your life feel unregulated or overwhelmed? What support would help you reclaim calm, groundedness, and hope?
A Prayer for the Day
For the Children and the Grown-Ups We’re Becoming
Holy One, We come to you not as experts, but as learners— children still, in so many ways, trying to find our footing in a world spinning fast. We grieve the world we are handing to the next generation. We grieve the ways we’ve lost our way. And yet—we still believe in our capacity to become. Help us slow down enough to listen. Help us be steady enough to hold space. Help us grow wise enough to serve, not just survive. Let the children see in us not perfection, but peace. Let them glimpse in our presence a kind of love that holds, a kind of truth that heals, a kind of courage that doesn’t flinch. Let this be the beginning of becoming the elders they need. Amen.
Spiritual Practice
Regulate to Radiate
Today, take 10 minutes to ground yourself—not for your own sake alone, but for the sake of the children watching you.
Find a quiet space. Sit or lie down. Breathe deeply—in through your nose, out through your mouth. As your breath slows, bring to mind a child in your life—or a child you saw recently, maybe even on the news. See them clearly.
Now ask yourself: What kind of presence would make that child feel safe, calm, and seen?
Let your body become that presence. You don’t have to have all the answers. You don’t need to be fully healed. But you can practice being regulated. You can choose to be the calm in the storm, even if just for five minutes, even if just for today.
Presence is contagious, and in a world of chaos, peace—real peace—can ripple outward from a steady soul.
Upcoming Events That Might Be of Interest…
October 18, 2025 - No Kings 2.0 Protest - Scholars of authoritarianism teach us that we need 3.5% of the population rising up to disrupt the rise of authoritarians. The last protest had over 6 million people in the streets in the US (more around the world) which was one of the largest protest in US history. We need to double that number. So here we go again. The movement builds. See you on the streets.
October 23, 30, November 13, 20 2025, 7pm ET - In Search of a New Story: Reimagining What Comes Next, A 4-Part Online Series with Dr. Matthew Fox, Cameron Trimble, Ilia Delio, Diana Butler Bass, Caroline Myss and Luther Smith. We are living through the unraveling of many old stories—about who we are, why we’re here, and how we are meant to live together on this Earth. As these inherited narratives collapse under the weight of climate crisis, social fragmentation, and spiritual disconnection, the question becomes clear: What story will guide us now? REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
I drafted a Strategic Framework for Congregations as we move into the coming years of increased authoritarianism around the world. If interested, you can download it here.
If you are a leader or member of a congregation looking for consulting support in visioning, planning, hiring or staffing, please consider Convergence.
It would also help off Adults would play more.
What a thoughtful four of our priorities and attentions. Thanks for this; it has me deeply reflecting on the importance of this, as I think Cameron is right, being the 'adult in the room' is no common and assumed thing.