Future alchemists Julia Buchebner and Stefan Stockinger are convinced that sustainability comes from within. It's not just about reducingCO2 and conserving resources, but also about taking a step forward in human development that is something to be proud of.
Your joint organization is called 'The Future Alchemists'. What is future alchemy all about?
Stefan Stockinger: Alchemy was not just about making gold. It also describes the symbiosis of science and spirituality. At that time, only those who had also found themselves could find the "philosopher's stone". It therefore had an external and an internal component. For the future, we would like to see precisely this combination of inner and outer, of science and spirituality, of heart and mind.
What is your 'treasure'? What do you want to inspire?
Julia Buchebner: Alchemy is the art of transformation. With future alchemy, we want to promote the transformation towards a liveable, sustainable, fair, mindful and loving world. On the way there, we must also take inner components, the human being, with us. Our goal is to stimulate this inner transformation, a deep change of consciousness in society.
Where do we currently stand in terms of future alchemy? Are we still looking for ingredients or are we already forging gold?
Stefan Stockinger: Before the pandemic, I hoped that a social breakthrough was imminent. Fridays for Future had highlighted global problems. Mindfulness was increasingly in demand in companies. The pandemic has shifted the focus, which feels like we've stepped down a level. Someone recently said to us: "You're 10 years too early with what you're doing." Nevertheless, it's great to see how many people are already dealing with this inner change.
Julia Buchebner: On an individual level, the pandemic has been a kind of "small-scale awakening". People have experienced what quality of life really means. Questions about meaning and real prosperity became tangible.
You wrote the book 'Innen wachsen, außen wirken' together as colleagues and as a couple. What is your book about?
Julia Buchebner: It's about the internal dimension of sustainability. We have both been working in the field of sustainability for many years and have noticed that the focus is almost always on external factors: technological innovations, better data and laws, etc. And that is of course all very important. And that's all very important, of course.
From our point of view, however, we often forget that internal factors determine whether we support these external measures at all. This involves values, emotions and world views. They determine the filter through which we see and interpret the world. And ultimately how we behave in it.
In the book, we describe which mental, emotional and spiritual aspects inhibit or promote sustainable development, where transformation can begin and what opportunities this opens up for us.
What hinders sustainability?
Julia Buchebner: I believe that an important reason for unsustainability is that we have lost this inner access, the connection to ourselves. We are eroded on the inside because our world is all about external things. It's about what I have, what I can do, what I look like. It's about achievements, success and outward appearances. The connection to inner sources of happiness has been lost, as if this access had been cut off.
The search for happiness purely on the outside keeps the whole consumerist machinery going. If I don't feel myself inside, don't give myself any value and don't find this happiness within myself, I compensate for this emptiness on the outside.
Which also means that personal and planetary well-being can go hand in hand when you realize that by connecting with yourself, you become less dependent on resource-intensive consumption and use.
Do we need this inner change? Or is there a shortcut to sustainability?
Stefan Stockinger: When people ask why we need the internal dimension of sustainability, I often ask the counter-question: Let's assume we forget about this internal dimension. Suppose we manage to change everything on the outside so that we have become sustainable 'on paper' by focusing solely onCO2, resources, technologies, laws, etc.? Is this then the world we want to live in?
I don't think so. For me, sustainability also means that we have taken a step forward in our human development. That we live according to our authentic values, are compassionate, are clearer with our emotions, can decide more freely, live our potential, feel deep happiness in life. Or in the words of Otto Scharmer (founder of Theory U): that we transform our ego world view into an eco world view (ecological world view).
Please complete this sentence. I would never have thought that our book...
Stefan Stockinger: ...made a simple cattle farmer cry because he found himself so much in the content. But I was also very pleased that a psychotherapist told us that we had described the emotional background of sustainability wonderfully.
Julia, what would you never have thought possible?
Julia Buchebner: I never thought that our book title would become part of our life as a couple. Just by writing the book together, we grew internally, which wasn't always without conflict (laughs). Apart from that, I was very pleased that several company bosses bought our book as a Christmas present for their entire workforce.
What has inspired you along the way?
Julia Buchebner: The Pioneers of Change network has always inspired me a lot. In my mid-twenties, it inspired me to experience that there are people who live this connection from the inside and outside. Stefan and I also got to know each other through this network. I am very grateful that this movement exists.
As future alchemists, you are also practically on the move. In what way?
Julia Buchebner: To ensure that the inner dimension of sustainability doesn't get stuck in philosophy, we also want to communicate it in a practical way - we do this through workshops, talks, seminars and our Change Maker Retreats. In our experiential lecture 'Back from 2040', we try to tell encouraging stories about the future in an entertaining and hopeful way as 'time travelers'. We also work with organizations to develop 'Skills4future' and train transformative future skills.
Stefan Stockinger: When we talk about "mindsets", we are talking about a deeper level than just the mind. It's about a new attitude towards life. We want people to start feeling again. This is the only way to achieve sustainability from within.
World events are currently going haywire. What gives you stability and confidence in everyday life?
Julia Buchebner: For me, the question of "what for" is central, which means knowing your own reason for being. I am here to help shape this change in consciousness, to bring something new into the world and to remind people of their love for the world, for life. When I meditate, I feel this deep motivation in every cell and it carries me through every dry spell. No war in the world and no negative news can stop me from living my deeper mission. Personally, this gives me an incredible amount of strength.
Let's beam ourselves into your future: what will you look back on after your 'retirement' as future alchemists?
Stefan Stockinger: I would like to look back on a life in which we have remained true to ourselves. With our book, we have created a certain ideal for society and also for ourselves. I would always like to have come closer to this wish. It would be great if our work has enabled us to reconnect people more strongly with themselves and with nature and to help shape a new, life-enhancing mindset.
Nowadays it is almost painful for me to see how negatively many people think. That's why I would like to see us living in a more positive world in 25-30 years' time, where people see the glass as half full rather than half empty. And where we courageously, boldly and self-empowered dare to break completely new ground.
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