All flourishing is mutual

Merriam-Webster defines “flourishing” as marked by vigorous and healthy growth. Sounds lovely! Who doesn’t like vigorous and healthy growth? There is a lot to like in this definition, but I think the way we often think about flourishing misses something essential.

Flourishing is a significant concept in Lutheran higher education. This might look like reflecting on what brings joy, responding to a sense of calling or vocation, and attention to physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. But that’s not enough. Author Robin Wall Kimmerer in her beautiful book “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants” tells a story about pecan trees, which don’t fruit predictably (as in annually or bi-annually), but do fruit all together —  having shared nutritional and other resources, depending on each other to flourish. She concludes, “all flourishing is mutual.”  

As beautifully illustrated by new design professor Junichi Tsuneoka on the cover of this issue of Resolute, PLU strives to be something of a garden for flourishing. Our roots run deep and our stems and shoots are strong. We know that if our garden is flourishing, it will not only provide nourishment for the plants in our stead, but also grow seeds that will ride the wind near and far, and germinate into plants that anchor new gardens.

It’s our hope that PLU community members can flourish individually and also serve as catalysts for flourishing in the lives of others. In this issue of Resolute, we highlight recent graduates who flourished at PLU. Lutes like innovation studies major Heven Ambachew ’24, criminal justice major Raphi Crenshaw ’24, and biology major Ash Bechtel ’24 may be just beginning their professional careers, but they are years into their vocational and community service.

This issue also showcases PLU alumni and professors who provide wellness services and design systems critical to human flourishing. I hope you are as inspired as I am by Brice Johnson ’99’s humanitarian leadership, Cheri Souza ’01’s philanthropy, and Professor Erik Hammerstrom’s spiritual care.

This issue also reminds us that social and environmental flourishing is a shared pursuit of all of our academic and co-curricular programs across campus. It’s a shared pursuit among medical doctors like Melissa Wollan Francis ’02, documentarians like Emma Stafki ’24, public policy analysts like Lorelei Juntunen ’97, and musicians like Jessa Delos Reyes ’24.

Kimmerer’s determination that “all flourishing is mutual” reminds us that flourishing is not just about us as individuals. It is connected to and interdependent with other humans and ecological systems. Reflections on this topic are useful in helping us identify obstacles and opportunities for individual and collective journeys toward vibrant, meaningful, and healthy lives, toward mutual flourishing.