Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals

 

  

 Soon after I wrote my post on “Unforgotten” an interesting synchronicity took me by surprise: I came across the book Second Nature: The inner Lives of Animals, by animal behaviorist Jonathan Balcombe, in which he points out that referring to animals to insult humans is rooted in deep-seated prejudices and lack of knowledge. It is also an act that debases both humans and non-human beings.

  With clear evidence, Balcombe shatters the prejudices that have dominated the minds of people for centuries, and this makes me wonder why this book did not get the attention it deserves.

 

Are you aware, for example, of the altruistic behaviors of vampire bats? Balcombe’s book details how vampire bats share and help each other in times of need. You will probably be astonished to learn that rats restrain themselves when they know their actions would cause pain to another individual.

 “Research has shown that rats would stop pressing a bar to obtain food if doing so delivered an electric shock to a rat next to them. Another experiment confronted rats with a fellow rat who was strapped tightly into a suspended harness. By pressing a lever, the witnessing rat could lower the other to the floor. This is what the witnessing rats did.”

    The facts he shares afford us the chance to reflect.

  

  It is not uncommon to hear stories that vilify sharks. Yet there are less than ten attacks on humans by sharks worldwide per year, whereas humans kill between 26 million and 73 million sharks per year.

   You may have been told that animal groups are autocracies. Evidence is mounting to prove the opposite; animal societies tend to function as democracies. Studies by Tim Roper and Larissa Conradt from the University of Sussex found that when a group of animals makes a decision to move somewhere, they respond to the “vote” of a majority (about 60%). In deer, the individual vote is expressed by standing up. African buffalo vote with the direction of the gaze. Whooper swans use head movements.

  Democracy also guides actions in social insects. For instance, when honeybees decide they need to move, the decision is democratic in nature.

 The mainstay of the survival of species is based on cooperation, not competition. When Jane Goodall discovered the behavior of sharing among chimpanzees, she awakened a new perception in scientists, who, from that point on, began to acknowledge sharing behaviors in other animals. You can learn more about this from Jonathan Balcombe’s book Second Nature.

 

 Balcombe sheds light on the ways animals cooperate with each other,  express gratitude and are prone to choose peace over violence. He gives examples of compassion among animals and on how they do  selfless acts for no tangible benefit to themselves. Their individual experiences, emotions and feelings play a role in their lives and in the ways they interact with each other.

  It has always been convenient for human beings to consider animals as irrational and savage to excuse the exploitation and abusive treatment of them. (Indeed, people may choose to believe what they want to believe, but this does not make humans morally superior).

  If you encounter people who think that cruelty against animals has nothing to do with societal human violence, you can let them know that various studies have shown there is a link between the two. Research done at Yale University has shown that there are strong associations between adult criminal behavior and childhood histories of animal cruelty.  Secondly, when cultural anthropologist David Levinson surveyed violence against women in ninety different human societies around the world, he found that victims were significantly more likely to be permanently injured, scarred, or killed by their husbands in societies in which animals were treated cruelly.

  Last but not least, “an extensive analysis of 581 American counties with and without slaughterhouses found that, compared to other industries, slaughterhouse employment increases arrest rates for violent crimes, rape, and other sexual offenses, presumably because the worker is desensitized to violence and cruelty.”

  Are humans morally superior? Jonathan Balcombe, animal behaviorist, does not think so. 

  Second Nature offers research and entertaining anecdotes that illuminate the inner lives of animals and inspire human beings to open their minds and hearts to the paths of wisdom, empathy and curiosity, and to become humble in this process of discovery.

  “When we make compassionate personal choices according to how they affect another, we are practicing Second Nature. The distinguished American biologist Edward O.Wilson coined the term biophilia to describe the connections that human beings unconsciously seek with the rest of life. Biophilia is the natural affinity—literally the love for life—that we may feel for a forest, the sound of ocean waves rolling onto a beach, the open sky or a butterfly.”

   Second Nature is a conscientious form of biophilia that happens when we extend this affinity to all individuals, recognizing that they have lives of value and that they want to live as much as we do. In Balcombe’s own words:

 “Extending our empathy and concern toward all who experience the ups and downs of life is neither strange nor radical. It is, after all, Second Nature.”

 This is the kind of book that leaves you thinking long after you finish it.

 

 I am horrified by the atrocities Vladimir Putin is causing in Ukraine. I stand with the people of Ukraine in their fight for freedom, life and liberty.

     

 

 

From a Black Girl to All Black Girls

 

“Excellence and elegance with every step I take,

Labels are something I transcend, nothing holds

Me back,”

Alexa Christian, from the poem “My Little Brown Self”

 

  Showering her readers with the confidence drawn from the love of her foremothers, Alexa’s words are bold and vibrant.  Her verses and monologues plant a seed to be watered and nurtured with the courage of creativity.

“From a Black Girl to All Black Girls” is a collection of poems, monologues and a play by Alexa Christian, a very young poet from Tennessee. Through her writing she pays tribute to the wisdom of her foremothers—“mothers, mommas, nanas, grannies”-- while inviting girls to express themselves.

 Alexa’s poetry kindles our curiosity to learn more about her ancestors, and I hope she will continue to write about them in future books.

  After sharing her own poetry, Alexa provides space and ideas to unleash the readers’ creative energy. Alexa urges her readers to honor their dreams and their own voices. Her poetry book also contains a literary glossary and reading recommendations.

 Alexa is convinced that fostering a love for poetry early on should be a crucial aspect of education.

  Opening up to a diversity of voices will pave the way to more fair societies. In various subtle ways the voices of women of color are often ignored or distorted by biases and prejudices, and this can undermine their right to full expression.

 It is also necessary to enrich school curricula by acknowledging and celebrating the contributions of women of color.

   Today I have the honor to interview Alexa Christian, author of “From a Black Girl to All Black Girls”. Thank you, Alexa, for your contribution to this post.

 

Julia:  What is the purpose of your book? What inspired you to write it and publish it?

Alexa: The purpose of my book is to ignite and fan the interest of poetry in students - primarily in the levels of kindergarten through grade 3. Yet the love of poetry, monologues, and playwriting are for every age. My inspiration for writing and publishing FABG Vol. 1 was the simple longing for people (other than my mother who has always been a gracious audience) to read, and understand, and relate to the complexity of my feelings and life during early 2020. My purpose is also to give others a chance to write their own thoughts with the provided space in my book. 

 

Julia: In your book you included a play that grabbed my attention. It is about Ella, a woman who is compelled to write a book and publish it, but there are unexpected forces at play that try to restrain her. What gave you the idea to write about it?

 

Alexa: The story behind Ella (who was named after my great-grandmother, the mother of my mother's father) and the play was given to me by my then unnoticed hidden desire of publishing my intimate thoughts. The writing process was interesting for me to explore how to go about the storyline, I gave a non-happy happy ending, which surprised even me. From a true lover of 'it all works out beautifully' story tropes. 

 

Julia: How would you improve school curricula to allow the voices of black women to be heard? Do you think schools teach enough about black women writers, artists and scientists?

 

 Alexa: I would improve school curricula to allow the voices of black women to be heard by requiring books written by black writers in several subjects. And by integrating poetry and sign language, which statistically raises reading comprehension and focus. Covid-19 hit and is still affecting students in both apparent and invisible ways. Scholars deserve a revised, more in depth and purposeful curriculum. Schools do not presently teach enough about black women writers, artists, scientists but making this change will give exponentially positive results across all levels and demographics. 

 

Julia: What are your goals for the future?

Alexa: My goals for the future are for all demographics whether in public or private schools to get the best instruction and a presence of poetry and sign language embedded into multiple grade instruction. 

 I have been blessed in my life to be instructed to present a report on Maya Angelou, who authored my favorite poem - In & Out of Time (4th grade). I enthusiastically participated in a mandatory class-wide Reading Iditarod (5th grade). My school gave my classmates and me field trips to see the movies 42 and Hidden Figures (7th + 8th grade) and it certainly doesn't hurt to have a cool English teacher for a mom who encouraged my love for summer reading. I can't imagine not pouring back into communities. 

The From A Black Girls Series is available on Alexachristian.com 

 Thank you to Julia and to all the readers!

 Thank you so much again for believing in me and my book. 

 

Unforgotten by Anita Silvey

 

“When you realize the value of all life you dwell less on what is past and concentrate more on the preservation of the future.”- Dian Fossey’s last journal entry.

  Using the word “gorilla” as an insult is an act of ignorance, and it is the result of deeply ingrained prejudices. In fact, gorillas are peaceful beings who care about their most vulnerable. They form lifelong relationships, mourn the loss of their loved ones and have a sense of humor. Their diets are mostly vegetarian, though they sometimes eat insects to add protein.

  Gorillas are not violent; they only become aggressive when the safety of their families is in jeopardy.

 

 Unforgotten by Anita Silvey is a children’s book, but I recommend it to people of all ages. It is a fascinating exploration of Dian Fossey’s life story and her legacy, with amazing facts about gorillas and the quest to protect them.

  Originally from California, Dian Fossey worked as an occupational therapist in a children’s hospital in Louisville, Kentucky, where she is still remembered for her kindness and her care of children with polio.

 After a life-transforming African safari for which she used up all her savings as well as the money of a loan she obtained for this purpose, she was determined to return to Africa to spend time with gorillas. With the support and training of Dr. Louis Leakey, the anthropologist who also mentored Jane Goodall and Birute Galdikas, Dian moved to a 7- by -10 foot tent (2-by-3-m) amid the forest in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the year 1967. She was about to turn thirty-five years old. Due to political conflicts and persecutions in DRC, she would later settle in Rwanda to continue her work.

 Dian Fossey was the first person to hold hands with a wild gorilla. His name was Peanuts.

 Dian was on a mission to research the lives of gorillas. Every evening, she would return to her tent and typewrite her observations. Yet Dian’s research went beyond the scope of scientific findings, for she fell in love with these gentle creatures and did everything she could to save their lives.

  Thanks to Dian Fossey’s work, mountain gorillas still exist today, but they are critically endangered.

   Due to traps set by poachers, gorillas can get injured or killed in the forests. Habitat loss and climate change also threaten their survival. Colossal patches of land are destroyed to make way for roads, crops and livestock. Even National Parks are compromised by illegal woodcutting. Last but not least, wars and political instability in Congo are a threat to their safety. (Thankfully, the political situation in Rwanda is stable).

  Dian Fossey’s stay in Africa was disrupted by civil wars, poachers and traumatizing experiences, but she fought till the end to save these peaceful giants. Unfortunately, she was murdered by poachers in 1985, but there is a team that continues to work to protect gorillas; these people are endowed with the spirit of resilience she infused into her endeavors to rescue gorillas.

     Trackers in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda search and destroy poaching traps. Anita Silvey’s book explains the fascinating details on how the trackers are working together to support gorilla families. These trackers work for the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund; they also study gorillas closely and educate people on how they can help.

 

Tracker Alfonsine Nakure, for example, is working on the front lines of this mission to support gorillas. Special skills and knowledge are needed to accomplish their goals.

 Unforgotten shares the same captivating style of  Untamed, which I reviewed not long ago. Reading “Unforgotten” was akin to embarking on an adventure of exploration. I could not stop turning the pages to find out what would happen next. Starting with Dian’s childhood, Silvey immerses us in the social and economic context to help us understand her better.

 

Unfortunately, gorillas are not the only endangered apes. Bonobos, chimpanzees and orangutans endure the same ordeal. Anita Silvey’s books are an invitation to help make a difference. 

  Unforgotten is published by National Geographic Kids. The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund is located in Rwanda. You can learn more about Dian Fossey’s Gorilla Fund here.

I will be reading Dian Fossey’s book Gorillas in the Mist, and I will write about it in a future blog post.

 Enjoy this breathtaking video to learn more:

  I am outraged by Vladimir Putin's actions. My heart and prayers are with the Ukrainian people and with those who protest the invasion and killing of people in Ukraine. 

 Thank you for reading my blog.

 

 

 

Marathon Man

  

 Confronting the health vulnerabilities of our parents is one of the great challenges of life.

  When Alan Corcoran’s father suffered a stroke at age 60, he was desperate for answers, but the future was uncertain. To make matters worse, he was not physically close to his dad when the stroke happened, which made him feel guilty. Even though he had awakened to the fragile nature of life before through the unexpected loss of young friends, he had never thought about the possibility of losing his parents. 

 Amid the turmoil, Alan opened a door of hope: he decided to revive the dream he had harbored in his mind for years; he would run the lap of Ireland, circumnavigating the whole country on foot in 35 days, and he would use this endeavor to fundraise for the Irish Heart Foundation and the National Rehabilitation Hospital (NRH), to support their stroke and brain injury unit. Furthermore, he would contribute ten percent of his fundraising to a peacebuilding charity that his dad, Milo Corcoran, had established: The Football Village of Hope, an organization that brought Israeli and Palestinian children together through the game.

   Alan Corcoran had pushed aside his athletic aspirations years before this incident because of an unexpected stress fracture. 

  His lack of training and experience with marathons did not scare him. His resolute attitude drove him toward his dream. He was steadfast in his plan. The preparation to be ready for this special marathon is one of the relevant aspects of the story. It happened in 2012, when Alan was busy completing his last year of college, writing his dissertation and working part-time as a hotel dish-scrubber.

 Athletic training is multidimensional, involving physical skills as well as mental and emotional resilience. Yet in this specific case it also pertained to the activity of raising funds, the logistics of which was not a minor aspect of the whole process.

   While his dad would be busy working hard on his rehabilitation, Alan would be training to accomplish a goal that would make his father proud, promote health and support their community. 

  Alan Corcoran’s vibrant personality shines through every page of the story combining humor, wisdom and patience. I appreciated the brief descriptions of the landscapes of Ireland, where he enjoyed the freedom of running in nature.

  Alan Corcoran’s book, “Marathon Man” recounts how he accomplished his feat, propelling us to pursue our own dreams, reminding us that no matter what we do, there will always be hurdles and challenges. It is imperative to accept those obstacles, and to be prepared to cope with them. 

 

 You don’t need to be an athlete to benefit from reading this book, but those who are interested in running a marathon will learn a lot from his advice and experience.

  Getting close to the end of this marathon, I could see how Alan learned to embrace the difficulties and to use them to build up resilience and determination in the face of adversity:

“More seasoned now, I’d accepted there’d be punches and life was easier if I just rolled with them. There’d be wrong turns, injuries, malfunctioning watches, missed feeds but I had to get on with things the best I could and keep the positive vibes flowing.”

 This inspiring read is also a celebration of family bonds, friendship and the power of community. His words on running epitomize his gratitude for life and for the joy and gift of aligning his talent with the wellbeing of others:

 “Whenever the haze of energy-zapping suffering lifted, mental space became available to appreciate my surroundings and my fortunate circumstances. I was outside, roaming Ireland’s landscapes, grateful for the lull in pain. I felt more than just gratitude in scenery like this. I was euphoric, deeply inhaling the countryside. I was engaged in a passion project for a meaningful cause, with my friends and family supporting me, travelling on foot through a postcard landscape. I went through an overwhelming pendulum of emotions, from cursing my Achilles and the barrage of hills to feeling like I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world.”

To learn more about Alan Corcoran, you can visit his websites.

https://linktr.ee/MarathonMan1

https://www.marathonman.co/

 

 If you enjoyed this post, feel  free to check my writing on "Running for Good":

  https://juliahoneswritinglife.blogspot.com/2021/12/running-for-good-fiona-oakes-story.html

 

 

Reflections of Eden by Birute Galdikas

  

“One does not meet oneself until one catches the reflection from an eye other than human.” Loren Eiseley

  Dr. Birute Galdikas hugging orangutans in the book Untamed, by Anita Silvey, piqued my interest. I was thrilled to learn that Galdikas had written a book about her life with the orangutans: Reflections of Eden, a riveting autobiography with empowering insights and an entrancing world of adventures.

 Dr Galdikas is a keen observer of both humans and orangutans.  

 

Captivated by an orangutan’s enigmatic gaze in her early twenties, Birute decided that she would study orangutans. As a student of anthropology at UCLA (University of California Los Angeles), she sent many letters and consulted several professors, but nobody believed she would be able to study orangutans in the wild. Everyone discouraged her. Impervious to their lack of cooperation, she persisted.

 One day, a famous anthropologist, Dr. Louis Leakey, came to UCLA to give a lecture. As she listened to him, she had a kind of epiphany: she saw her future in the forests of Borneo, working with orangutans.

   A meaningful conversation with Dr. Leakey gave her the chance to convince him that her interest in orangutans was genuine. She was ready to do whatever was necessary to study them. Three years later, Birute Galdikas ventured to Kalamantan in Indonesia with the support of Louis Leakey, who had helped her to obtain a grant.

 

Her purpose was to unlock the mysteries of orangutans. It was the year 1971. Little did she know about how much she would get attached to the forest, the people and the orangutans in Indonesia.

  Galdikas and her husband, Rod, sheltered in a rudimentary hut nestled in the rainforest. They had no electricity and survived on limited resources, under the threat of blood-sucking leeches.

 “To save money we had only one flashlight between us, which Rod always carried. But most days we went separate ways. If I spotted an orangutan, I would tie a white handkerchief around a tree before I left the trail, so Rod could find me. This system worked well most of the time. In the forest gloom the handkerchief stood out like a beacon, but on many days we lost track of one another.” Eventually, they bought a second flashlight: “After months of stumbling home by myself in the dark over roots and vines, I decided that buying a second flashlight would not ruin us financially. The blackness of the forest combined with the dankness of the air felt claustrophobic, like pushing my way through curtains of black velvet.”

  It took her months to gain their trust and get close to the orangutans. She was then able to follow their behaviors, interactions and relationships. This can only happen when habituation takes place, the process through which orangutans live their lives alongside humans without being influenced by their presence. Birute Galdikas named every orangutan she followed, and documented every feature of their individual personalities.

 Her work in Indonesia, however, was not limited to research goals.

  According to Indonesian laws people are not allowed to keep orangutans as pets, but Birute Galdikas soon became aware of the fact that these laws were not enforced. Therefore, it was considered normal to keep orangutans in cages, as pets, in Indonesia. Even government officials did it. For every orangutan that was kept as a pet, six had been slaughtered. After the mother was killed, the defenseless offspring was caught and traded. It was considered a profitable business, even though it was against the law. Living in cages, their lifespan did not go beyond their juvenile years.

 

Birute’s work and love for orangutans led her to do more than just research the lives of orangutans. Her determination to rescue orangutans transcended the boundaries of this cultural wrongdoing that happened in other countries as well- not just Indonesia. Over time, she was able to persuade people that keeping orangutans in captivity was not only illegal but also cruel and unethical.

  In addition to working on her research, Birute opened the cages of many captive orangutans and provided the rehabilitation they needed before they were ready to be released into the wild.

   Birute became the adoptive mother of several orangutans, and this was not a simple task. The first orangutan she rescued was Sugito, who clung to her day and night, never willing to let her go. Even going to the bathroom became a challenge for Birute after she adopted Sugito.

  Many of the unique stories of ex-captive orangutans are shared in Reflections of Eden, a book that teems with surprises and interesting revelations. Her words evince vivid memories of the rainforest and enrapture our senses:

“Even more profound than this elusive beauty is the music of the forest. It varies from hour to hour, but the underlying symphony, so pervasive that it permeates the fabric of one’s being, is the whine of the cicadas. Multifarious cicada voices, some ebbing, some flowing in crescendo, overpower other sounds. The noise of the cicadas echoes in the inner ear, penetrates the bones, and reverberates in the marrow.”

 It is not easy to survive in the rainforest. Orangutans have a special kind of intelligence to forage for foods they need to nourish their bodies. These foods include a wide variety of fruits, leaves, tree bark, insects, and honey. Orangutans are knowledgeable botanists, and they acquire their knowledge from their mothers. They spend their first eight years of their life learning from their mothers.

  Orangutans spend most of their time in the forest canopies, roaming through the treetops. The massive destruction of the rainforests is leading to their extinction. During those early years Birute and her husband found themselves fighting to preserve their forests.

 “With the destruction of the tropical forests, the orangutans are inadvertently flushed out of the forest onto the ground and into open spaces where the large red apes are easy targets.”

Orangutans are a keystone species. They play a unique role in the preservation of the rainforest. Their faeces contain hundreds of seeds, and by spreading the seeds they support the health of the forest and help it to thrive. 

Orangutans share 97 percent of their DNA with humans, so it should not come as a surprise that orangutans’ social lives are complex. Unlike chimpanzees, orangutans enjoy their solitude.

 “Orangutans can be quite social, but they also seem to be perfectly at ease being alone. They can form lasting relationships, but they do not need constant reassurance, nor do they fear being alone and lonely.” Relationships can last a lifetime. Even if they do not interact for months or years, the bond is maintained. This feature reminds me of dolphins. (I wrote about them when I reviewed Voices in the Ocean, years ago).

  Birute Galdikas unravels the layers of complexity of various situations and cultural experiences without adopting a judgmental attitude. "Reflections of Eden" exposes personal life stories and observations with honesty, creating new dimensions of understanding, as she unfolds different aspects of the book, including her childhood, youth, her family history, her research on orangutans and the idiosyncrasies of Indonesian culture.

 The gist of the book, however, is about the journey to understand orangutans, to rescue them, and to support their habitat.

  After reading Reflections of Eden I was inspired to learn more on how to support orangutans. Palm oil plantations are replacing the forests that they need to survive.

 Avoiding the consumption of palm oil, for example, is an important way to help them. Cosmetics and certain foods may contain palm oil, so checking labels is important to avoid purchasing products that contain palm oil. (For example, soaps, shampoo, chocolate and cookies may contain palm oil). You can also contact manufacturers, asking them to avoid the use of palm oil in their products. You can learn more about this from these websites:

 Dr. Galdikas is the President of the Orangutan Foundation International. Feel free to check their website:

https://orangutan.org/about/history-of-ofi/

 Birute Galdikas never abandoned the orangutans. Fifty years later, her commitment to protect orangutans and their precious forests is alive and active. Enjoy this National Geographic video with Dr. Galdikas and the orangutans.

 

 

 

Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid

 

“When the winds of change blow, some build walls; others build windmills.” Anonymous

Fascinating and diverse are the words that Thor Hanson uses to describe the responses of animals and plants to climate change. As I write this post, between 25 and 85 percent of all species are in the process of relocation. Both plants and animals have the potential to seek different conditions to survive.

 According to Gretta Pecl, a full-time University Professor of marine ecology and founder of the Global Marine Hotspot Network, “we are living through the greatest redistribution of species since the last ice age. Over thirty thousand climate-driven species range shifts have already been observed and measured.”

 “Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid” by Thor Hanson explores the specific changes that various species of plants and animals undergo to survive. With climate change, extreme weather events are more common. Anole lizards, for example, develop larger toe pads to cling to trees more effectively during hurricanes.

  There are many behavioral changes that surprise scientists. The switch experienced by butterfly fish is an example of this. Butterfly fish eat corals. As you may know, corals live in symbiosis with algae, but high temperatures cause stress in them and lead to a phenomenon called coral bleaching. This happens when corals expel the algae that live in symbiosis with them. (Heat waves are also responsible for coral disease, starvation and death).

  Coral bleaching itself wreaks havoc on the entire ecosystem, but the reason I mention coral bleaching here is to explain the behavioral changes of the butterfly fish. To gain access to the coral they need to feed on, butterfly fish act like fierce competitors. However, butterfly fish let go of their hostile behaviors in view of the bleached corals; they become “pacifists”. Bleached corals are a poor meal, so butterfly fish do not waste energy fighting for them.

  Another intriguing example is the situation with the bears in Kodiak Island, located off the Southern coast of Alaska. Everybody knows that salmon is an important component of their diet, but in Kodiak Island something unexpected happened.   When the levels of salmon in the streams began reaching a peak, the bears stopped searching for them; they simply left the fishing area.  The bears pursued the berries instead. Early warm weather had ripened the red elderberries sooner, so the bears chose the berries over the salmon. (By reducing their consumption of salmon, however, there is less available nutrition for scavengers in the surrounding woods).

 

Thor Hanson’s book contains various photographs and illustrations that complement the read. “Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid” kindles our curiosity, as it expounds some of the strategies that plants and animals use to adjust to the challenges of climate change.

  Finally, Thor Hanson poses a crucial question:

What are the human responses to climate change?

  “Seen through the lens of climate change biology, human activities often echo the responses of plants and animals in the wild—moving, adapting, taking refuge. Such parallels are not surprising, because in spite of the complexity of our societies, and the technologies we surround ourselves with, in the end we’re just one more species in a changing world, facing the same climate challenges, and drawing on the same basic toolbox of potential solutions. With one notable difference. Unlike any other organisms on the planet, people have the ability to do more than simply react to climate change. If we so choose, we can alter the behaviors that are causing it to happen.”

  Climate change contributes to food insecurity, starvation, and social conflicts. This is the aspect that is often left out of the conversations:

https://www.sei.org/perspectives/climate-change-amplifies-risks-violent-conflicts-africa/

 

 Here’s a thought-provoking  video:

 

Feel free to visit Thor Hanson’s website to learn more about his works and background:

https://thorhanson.net/

 Kudos to France for banning plastic packaging for nearly all fruits and vegetables:

https://earth.org/france-to-ban-plastic-packaging-for-fruit-and-vegetables-2022/

 

Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Suzanne Simard

 

“But man is part of nature, and his war against nature is inevitably a war against himself.” Rachel Carson

   Working in the logging industry, Suzanne Simard introduced the concept of cooperation among trees; it was based on a discovery for which she was mocked and shunned. Her finding had the potential to turn forest practices upside down. 

  Policies and practices in forestry had been established on the basis of competition as the key to the survival of trees.

  Decades ago, Suzanne Simard’s discovery on the way birch trees support the health of the fir trees was the beginning of an ongoing journey that would study the kind of interaction the field of forestry had ignored for so long: cooperation among trees.

 

You may wonder how trees cooperate with each other when all you’ve heard in school was about competition.

 Just as Albert Frank was fiercely criticized when he introduced the concept of symbiosis, Suzanne Simard was dismissed when she explained the need to let birch trees coexist with fir trees to support the health of the desired fir trees. Birch trees were considered “weeds”; therefore, policies to spray and kill those trees had always been in place.

 Thankfully, Simard found another job at the University of British Columbia and she continued to work hard on her path of research, asking questions that challenged the blindsided system and paved the way to comprehend how trees communicate with each other.

 

Suzanne Simard’s research showed that trees connect underground with the roots of other trees through an intricate network of fungi (the mycorrhizae), and their health and resilience depend on this complex web.

  In her book Finding the Mother Tree, Simard details the story of her research and threads into it her own life experiences, delving into her childhood, youth, family relationships, motherhood, and other relevant matters, like her cancer diagnosis and treatment.

 I appreciate how she was able to integrate so many subjects into a thought-provoking book, and I could empathize with her on every aspect of her journey.  

 “I have come full circle to stumble onto some of the indigenous ideals: Diversity matters. And everything in the universe is connected—between the forests and the prairies, the land and the water, the sky and the soil, the spirits and the living, the people and all other creatures.”

  

Suzanne Simard also focuses on the role of Mother trees. These are the oldest trees in a forest, and they are pivotal to the survival of young seedlings and various other trees, for they provide nourishment, making the forest strong and resilient. Mother trees are the foundation that underpins the integrity of a forest, and they are vital to the diversity of the woods.

  Simard reveals the power of her scientific observations by adding poetical reflections:

  “Imagine the flow of energy from the Mother Trees as powerful as the ocean tide, as strong as the sun’s rays, as irrepressible as the wind in the mountains, as unstoppable as a mother protecting her child. I knew that power in myself even before I’d uncovered these forest conversations. I’d felt it in the energy of the maple in my yard, flowing into me as I contemplated Dr. Malpass’s wisdom about embracing the mystery of life, sensing that magical emergent phenomena when we work together, the synergy that reductionist science so often misses, leading us to mistakenly simplify our societies and ecosystems.”

  After she survived her breast cancer treatment, she asked for some kind of reassurance to get on with her life, but all she encountered was the mystery of life, so she used her knowledge and passion for trees to create The Mother Tree Project. 

 “Our goal is to further develop an emergent philosophy: complexity science. Based on embracing collaboration in addition to competition—indeed, working with all the interactions that make up the forest—complexity science can transform forestry practices into what is adaptive and holistic and away from what has been overly authoritarian and simplistic.”

 Perhaps this book will confirm what your intuition perceives in your own interactions with trees and forests; or it may offer you a new window of contemplation, immersed in a deeper understanding of the trees, inviting you to cherish those moments of communion.

 “There is no moment too small in the world. Nothing should be lost. Everything has a purpose, and everything is in need of care. This is my creed. Let us embrace it. We can watch it rise.”

  Feel free to visit The Mother Tree Project:

https://mothertreeproject.org

 To keep marveling at the ways trees communicate, check this video by Suzanne Simard:

 

You may want to read my writing on Entangled Life if you haven't had a chance to read it yet:

https://juliahoneswritinglife.blogspot.com/2021/12/entangled-life.html