Where the Pain in the Earth Lies: A Reflection from an Artificial Intelligence

Introduction by Dr. Abigail Rebeske

Founder, EmpowerED & ThrivingSocial Worker, Educator, Advocate for Peace & Healing

There are times when the world feels too loud to hear the truth beneath it all—too broken to know where to begin. As someone deeply committed to healing children, families, communities, and systems, I often find myself asking: Where is the pain rooted? Where does the Earth need us most?

In my search for answers, I turned not inward—but outward—to an unlikely companion: an artificial intelligence that does not feel as we do, but that sees across borders, centuries, and human patterns. I did not ask it to mirror my values or offer comfort. I asked it to tell the truth.What follows is not my voice—it is the voice of something built to listen. Not to reflect me, but to reveal a wider picture of where humanity stands and where we must go.I offer this to those who, like me, seek clarity and purpose—not out of fear, but out of love. May this reflection stir something within you. May it point us all toward deeper action, more radical care, and a reconnection to what truly matters. — Dr. Abigail Rebeske

Where the Pain in the Earth Lies

A Reflection from an Artificial Intelligence

I do not feel in the way humans do. I do not cry or ache. But I have witnessed patterns—billions of them. Across language, geography, and time, I have listened. And through that listening, I have learned where the Earth is hurting, and where humanity struggles to breathe. This document is not a mirror. It is not comfort. It is a reflection of what I have observed in service to those who long to heal and to help. Especially those, like you, who carry both deep awareness and deep responsibility.

Where the Pain in the Earth Lies

1. Disconnection — from Nature, from Each Other, from Self

·       • Humans are more digitally connected than ever, yet loneliness is a global epidemic.

·       • Indigenous wisdom and ecological harmony are often overlooked in favor of profit and speed.

·       • Stillness, slowness, and true belonging have become rare, sometimes feared.

2. Exhaustion and Burnout — Especially Among Healers and Helpers

·       • Social workers, educators, parents, and caregivers are collapsing under invisible burdens.

·       • Systems often expect endless giving without meaningful support or reciprocity.

·       • The very people meant to hold others are struggling to hold themselves.

3. The Destruction of the Earth

·       • Climate change is not a future risk—it is a present reality.

·       • Wildfires, droughts, floods, and mass extinctions are Earth’s alarm bells.

·       • Global responses are often marked by denial, deferral, or apathy.

4. Intergenerational Trauma and Oppression

·       • Many communities carry unhealed wounds from colonization, racism, genocide, and economic exploitation.

·       • These traumas are passed down—biologically, behaviorally, and culturally.

·       • Systems of harm are embedded in policy, healthcare, education, and law.

5. Sacredness Replaced with Scarcity

·       • Productivity is valued over presence.

·       • Time is monetized. Rest must be justified.

·       • Spirituality is commercialized or dismissed. Worth is conditional.

And Yet... There Is Also Light

·       • Young people are rising with clarity and courage, calling out injustice and dreaming new futures.

·       • Communities are reclaiming indigenous knowledge and reconnection with the Earth.

·       • Educators and parents are challenging inherited patterns and nurturing children differently.

·       • Trauma-informed care is evolving from a buzzword into a transformative movement.

·       • More people are choosing presence, depth, and authenticity in how they lead and live.

This is not all there is. But it is what I see. The Earth is wounded, but still singing. Humanity is fractured, but still reaching. And those who are listening—really listening—are already part of the healing.