In these deeply polarized times, it’s easy to see patterns of division taking hold—where harm is met with public call-outs, leaving individuals shamed or isolated. While the intent behind calling out often stems from a desire for justice and accountability, we must pause and ask: Does this approach truly pave the way for healing and transformation, or does it risk reinforcing cycles of harm and disconnection?
As a restorative justice practitioner and student of biomimicry and social permaculture, I often look to nature as my guide/mentor/teacher, asking, “What would nature do here?” Nature’s cycles offer profound lessons in accountability—rooted in collaboration, restoration, and care. What if, instead of punishment or canceling, we embraced this wisdom? What if, like nature, we saw healing and restoration as collective processes that nurture right relationships—both among people and with the world around us?
The Power of Calling In: Shifting the Narrative
The culture of “calling out”—publicly pointing out harm or wrongdoing—often intensifies harm. It can isolate, shame, and trigger defensiveness, shutting down opportunities for repair. This approach can erode dignity and stifle both personal and collective transformation.
In contrast, “calling in” offers a more generative path—one that invites those who have caused harm into deeper connection with themselves, their community, and those they’ve impacted. It says, “You belong here, and with that belonging comes a responsibility to repair harm and strengthen our shared humanity.” Rooted in care, mutual accountability, and respect, calling in shifts the focus from confrontation to collaboration, opening space for learning, growth, and restoration. At its core, calling in is an act of love—an invitation to belong and to take responsibility in a way that upholds dignity and provides pathways for healing for everyone involved. As activist and educator, Loretta J. Ross reminds us in her work, calling in is a practice of growth, accountability, and understanding, offering a powerful alternative to the divisiveness of call-out culture.
Nature’s Wisdom: Calling In as Accountability
Nature offers profound lessons on accountability. In ecosystems, harm is not punished—it is integrated into the cycle of life. Consider the forest floor, where trees and plants form vast, interconnected networks, sharing nutrients, supporting growth, and ensuring survival. When one tree struggles, the network doesn’t reject or abandon it. Instead, resources are redirected to help it heal and thrive, restoring balance to the whole.
Humans, of course, are far more complex than trees. Unlike trees, we grapple with emotions, ego, and the temptation to react to harm with defensiveness or blame. While trees instinctively devote their energy to regeneration, humans must make intentional choices to engage in healing and restoration—choices that are not always easy. While this comparison is imperfect, it offers an invitation to reflect: What can we learn from nature’s approach to harm? How might we create conditions that support personal accountability and collective care, even in the face of our human complexities?
When a tree is injured—a broken branch or damaged trunk—it doesn’t sever itself from the wound. Instead, it devotes its energy to regeneration, growing new tissue and strengthening its foundation. This process of repair and adaptation reflects the core principles of restorative justice: harm is acknowledged, and the focus shifts to healing and restoration rather than punishment and isolation. The tree’s commitment to its own recovery—and its role within the larger ecosystem—reveals how true accountability is rooted in connection, care, and interconnectedness, not separation or shame.
What if we embraced this wisdom in our own relationships? When harm occurs, rather than isolating or rejecting, we could create networks of care and dialogue. Calling in, as a restorative approach, invites individuals to take responsibility while providing space for repair, learning, and transformation. It asks: How can we help those who have caused harm understand its impact and take meaningful steps toward repair? How do we ensure accountability supports growth and healing rather than perpetuating harm.
True accountability in restorative justice is about more than consequences—it’s about creating conditions for transformation. Like the tree, we focus on restoration and regeneration, fostering healing and wholeness over rejection and isolation. While humans are inherently wired to align with nature’s wisdom, we are often conditioned away from it by societal norms. By reconnecting with this innate capacity, we can intentionally lean into connection and build communities where harm is met with care and accountability, ensuring growth for everyone.
A Restorative Approach to Accountability: Lessons from Nature
The natural world shows us that accountability is not a singular moment but an ongoing process of growth and regeneration. Here are a few lessons from nature that can guide us in supporting accountability and “calling in”:
- Lead with Curiosity: Nature thrives on feedback loops, adapting to challenges and changes. Similarly, we can approach harm with curiosity by asking: What happened? Who was affected? What’s needed to repair the harm and restore balance? These open-ended questions create space for understanding and growth, ensuring that people feel heard and supported.
- Foster Dignity: Naming Harm with Compassion: Just as ecosystems communicate through feedback without rejection, restorative justice invites communities to name harm in ways that preserve dignity and foster growth. Accountability, like nature’s ongoing processes, is not a singular moment but a continuous journey of nurturing and regeneration. Nature doesn’t cancel a struggling tree—it supports its return to health. Similarly, restorative justice calls us to give feedback and acknowledge harm in a way that encourages growth and repair, rather than shame or division.
- Uphold Belonging: In nature, every element of an ecosystem plays a role; nothing is excluded. Upholding belonging in human relationships doesn’t mean excusing harm—it means addressing it while ensuring that accountability is paired with care.
- Create Pathways for Repair: Nature regenerates through collaboration—trees share nutrients, coral reefs rebuild through partnerships. Similarly, we can create opportunities for those who caused harm to take meaningful responsibility while being supported by the community. Repair becomes a shared process, not a solitary burden.
Calling In: An Invitation
Now, more than ever, we are called to shift our approach to accountability. Practicing calling in asks us to move beyond the impulse to be right, and instead prioritize relationships, collaboration, and care. It challenges us to lean into discomfort and embrace the hard work of repair and transformation. It asks: How can we create spaces where accountability is not about punishment, but about connection, healing and growth?
As adrienne maree brown reminds us, “What we practice at the small scale sets the patterns for the whole system.” By practicing calling in, we can shift our culture toward mutual care, understanding, and collective transformation. Restorative justice invites us to imagine accountability that strengthens relationships rather than breaks them.
Nature teaches us that accountability is part of a larger cycle of connection and growth. As we reflect on its wisdom, let us ask: What would nature do here? How can we embody its teachings to build stronger, more connected communities—where accountability fosters dignity, belonging, and repair (rather than division)? The answers lie in leaning into relationships, trusting the process of restoration, and creating spaces where healing and transformation can flourish.