Joanna Macy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joanna Macy
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Macy in 2006
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| Born | May 2, 1929 |
| Died | July 19, 2025 (aged 96) Berkeley, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Author, Buddhist scholar, environmental activist |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse | Francis Macy (died 2009) |
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Joanna Rogers Macy (born May 2, 1929, died July 19, 2025) was an American writer, teacher, and activist. She was known for her work on protecting the environment and understanding how everything in the world is connected. She also studied Buddhism, a spiritual path. Joanna Macy wrote many books and was married to Francis Underhill Macy, who started the Center for Safe Energy.
Contents
About Joanna Macy
Early Life and Inspiration
Joanna Macy found her passion for writing and poetry thanks to a poet named Muriel Rukeyser. When Joanna was in high school in New York City, she skipped school to go to a poetry reading by Rukeyser. The hall was very full, but Rukeyser kindly invited Joanna to sit on the stage during the reading. This moment inspired Joanna greatly.
Education and Ideas
Joanna Macy graduated from Wellesley College in 1950. Later, she earned her Ph.D. in religious studies from Syracuse University in 1978. For her Ph.D., she studied how different parts of a system affect each other. She also explored a Buddhist idea that everything in the world is connected and depends on each other. Her teacher for this work was Ervin László.
Working for a Better World
Joanna Macy became a well-known voice for peace and protecting our planet. She spoke out against nuclear weapons and worked for a fairer world. She was famous for her book Coming Back to Life and for an idea called the "Great Turning." This idea is about changing our society from one that just focuses on making more things to one that lives in a way that helps the Earth last for a long time. She developed ways for people to work together for change. Her teachings combined ideas from Buddhism, modern science, and how people think and feel.
Key Influences and Learning
Discovering Buddhism
Joanna Macy first learned about Buddhism in 1965. She was working with people from Tibet who had sought safety in northern India. There, she met important Buddhist teachers. Her own spiritual practices were inspired by different Buddhist traditions from places like Sri Lanka, West Bengal, and Thailand.
Understanding How Things Connect
Many thinkers helped shape Joanna Macy's ideas about how living things and systems work together. Ervin Laszlo taught her about "systems theory," which looks at how different parts of a system interact. He helped her with her Ph.D. work. Gregory Bateson also influenced her thinking. Other important people whose writings helped her understand systems included Ludwig von Bertalanffy, Arthur Koestler, and Hazel Henderson. She learned about how living systems work from Tyrone Cashman. She also learned about economic systems from Kenneth Boulding. Donella Meadows helped her understand the effects of systems that grow too much. Elisabet Sahtouris taught her about how systems organize themselves over time.
Her Work and Legacy
Joanna Macy traveled all over the world. She gave talks, led workshops, and trained people. Her special way of working was first called "Despair and Empowerment Work." Later, she renamed it "the Work that Reconnects." This work helps people deal with their feelings about the world's problems. It also helps them find ways to make a positive difference. After her husband, Francis Underhill Macy, passed away in 2009, Joanna lived in Berkeley, California. She was close to her children and grandchildren. She also taught at several universities in the San Francisco Bay Area. These included the Starr King School for the Ministry and California Institute of Integral Studies.
See also
- David Korten, a collaborator with Macy on the Great Turning Initiative
