h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

What could be a common ground for believers and non-beliefers?

All of you in H2G2 are doing it for good. Spending their time and resources in return for, yes what do you get? (Except of course the editors, who get money for drinking beer all the time )

The answer to that is the answer to the question.


Here's my two cent: A better world, more knowledge, more tolerance. That's what I strive for.

Oh, I forgot something important.

I'm absolutely overwhelmed by the wonderful beauty of nature.

There we two have identical attitudes!

There's just too many beautiful things in the world to mention. To me every human being is beautiful. Every living creature is beautiful, from the largest down to the smallest. Have you ever looked closely at an insect? An insect is a miracle - imagine how hard it would be for humans to build a robot that small that can do that many different kinds of things. And they are very interesting to look at - the perfection of their lines, their jointed limbs, their delicate wings and antennae. It always amazes me to look at an insect after I rescue it from water - how first of all it sits down and grooms its wings and antennae until they're clean and dry.

And how about views over wide landscapes? An activity I love is climbing a high hill or mountain and then just sitting there, looking out over the world and thinking of all the people and places and animals and plants in the wide world around and below me. To me that is a religious experience.

Sometimes a person just needs to sit or lie down in a beautiful natural place, such as beneath a tree or beside a river (or both) and just do nothing at all.

And what about the beauty of the planets and the stars, the nebulae and the galaxies out there in space?

Every person ought to appreciate living in a world as wonderful as this one is.

What are we here for? Contact. Communication. Interaction. Learning. Sharing. Having fun together. Cooperating to build a bright and glorious future together. That's a good enough purpose for life, isn't it?

How I'd love to be in South Africa. Must be a marvelous place!

Yeah, but it has its downsides as well...

Hmm, the popularity of this forum suggests that people enjoy arguing more than agreeing!

Seems to be like that. But maybe those who agree do not post. I think that is a big drawback of the medium internet. Are you fine, BTW?

Currently extremely exhausted, burnt by the sun ... Been up early last morning, went to the gym, after which I shovelled about a ton of soil and planted over a hundred trees, which kept me busy until 18:30, next I watched "Wing Commander" on TV (shoddy movie) and then I wrote my best h2g2 entry to date, which kept me busy until now - 2 O' Clock Thursday Morning.

In other words, yeah. And you?

Sounds like an interesting day.. What kind of trees did you plant?

I, too, am a nature-lover... I used to love to go skinny-dipping in a river where I'd have to chip away the ice layer before I could get in, just to be able to feel the water moving against my skin.. It just somehow felt like I was bringing Mother Nature in all her glory (and 'Mother nature', btw, is just an expression) closer to me. Of course, those days are pretty much over, but I sill like skinny dipping in -warmer- waters.

'Nonnie

Skinny-dipping is wonderful, bringing you close to nature. And having the sun shine on your naked skin is the best.

Yes I'm fine too, although it's a little bit too cold here (Germany, about 4 degrees celsius) for me.

I once planted a hundred trees and bushes a day in my garden, with the help of a friend. Took us all day, and I couldn't move 3 days long. But it's good to see them grow.

Ahh, something's happening at last! Hi, Anonymouse!

I did not actually plant trees, I planted seeds that I hope will become trees - after all the seed contains the tree. Two species: the large-fruited Bushwillow (Combretum zeyheri) and the Velvet Bushwillow (Combretum molle). But we sifted and mixed a huge amount of soil, enough to fill at least a hundred large bags more. I'm trying to promote indigenous South African flora. Since the Europeans came here, there's been a process going on where the natural plants of South Africa are being replaced by European, American, Australian, Asian and South American plants. They are causing problems because there aren't any local bugs that eat their seeds, and consequently they produce more viable seeds than local plants and spread and take over local plant communities. We have more threatened or extinct plant species than any other country. But a lot still remain: we have 25 000 native plant species. There are only about a thousand exotic species in cultivation, and they threaten this entire diversity of indigenous plants that we have. So I'm trying to encourage people to plant indigenous, and to remove exotic plants whenever possible. Also trying to educate them about the native flora because most South Africans know something about the country's animals, but nothing about the country's plants. Compare: we have about 100 species of large mammal but 1700 species of tree.

Interesting things to learn. We have lots of exotic tree up here, and it's one major cause of the dying of tress, because exotic trees are not so resistant to enviromental pollution.

*sigh* Any time you introduce a non-native species (whether it be flora or fauna) you run the risk of destroying the balance of nature as clearly as if you take one away. When will people learn this???

'Nonnie

When will people learn this? Dunno, but we can make that time come sooner by telling more people about it!

The problem of the balance of nature being disrupted is very complicated. Some problems manifest visibly and rapidly, while others are very long term and subtle. Alien flora, for instance, has become a visible problem in South Africa, where for instance people can see thickets of prickly pear cactuses tangling up hundreds of square kilometers so that no man or beast can enter them. This is in the Eastern Cape on land that used to support one of the most diverse and interesting communities of succulent plants in the world. Or in the Southwestern Cape, where in some places, where there used to be over a thousand different species of flowering plants and shrubs per hectare, that same hectare is now choked by 10 000 individuals of the Australian Port Jackson Acacia. Or in Mpumalanga where some subtropical montane forests, rich in plants, birds and invertebrates, have been replaced by dark and depressing Australian Black Wattle thickets where no other living creatures are able to survive.

But in other countries the problem is not so apparent. Here in South Africa "exotic" plants are ones that come from colder climates, or Eucalypts from the frigging Australian desert, and when they come here, they suddenly experience a growing season of 365 days a year, and lots of nice, moist areas like riversides, and they grow like weeds. But in Germany the problem is the opposite. There "exotic" plants often come from less harsh climates, and they need to be coddled to enable them to survive. So they are also the first to suffer when the environment deteriorates. In both cases you make a stable ecology less stable, with the result that biodiversity goes down - in our case, precipitously.

This is just a SINGLE ecological problem, and in some countries (ours is the only one I know of but I'm sure there are others) it is already getting so out of hand that major and expensive government projects have been launched to try and combat them. When will we learn indeed?

I think the average human being is seriously in need of an ecological education. We're either going to get it by deciding to get it of our own free will, or Nature will soon force it on us.

Hmm, interesting topic drift, don't ya think? Or maybe not???

It is an interesting topic and it even extends to the question of which surrounding is the natural one for mankind. Just as plants and animals live in a stable relationship, man lives better in a balanced union with nature and himself. I think you know better than I do.

You are right with the exotic trees in Germany, but one special problem comes from planting trees which grow in Sweden or Norway cause they grow so fast in Germany. The Blackwood Forrest consists of them and they are not very resitant to pollution.

It was once told to me that somewhere, every plant is a weed. Of course, this is based on the definition of 'weed' not so much as an unwanted plant (though that does have some significance) but as a plant which thrives without tending in the area. I believe the example given at the time (it was a very long time ago) was Orchids. They are cultivated and cherished the world over, yet somewhere they are natural wildflowers which the locals battle like we do dandilions.


'Nonnie
(What topic drift? )

Wow, that's where I want to live: where orchids grow like weeds and all people run around naked having fun with each other.

(Now that is a topic drift! )

Hmm, I don't know about orchids being "battled like dandelions" - over here many orchids grow wild in the veld, but it's still an exciting experience coming across one. As for plants that thrive on their own without tending, that's the way it's SUPPOSED to be everywhere. I can tell people how to plan their gardens so that they don't need to give them any water or weeding or more or less any kind of care and it will still look good. As for people running around naked having fun with each other, I guess you'll have to try the Brazilian rainforest but that way of life is on the way out I'm afraid. Nowadays it's the western consumerist lifestyle everywhere, everybody dress the same, everybody got the same expensive hangups and everybody tries to keep up appearances.

Sorry, wrong botton (even happens to computer freaks).

Well, I'm not a follower of fashion. On the contrary, I think people look best with no clothes on. That's why I like to be naked in my garden, although there are no orchids in there.

Some people find it exciting to come across a dandilion, too. In fact, one in tune with nature could find any non-disturbed-by-man area exciting.

As for the running around nekkid part goes, count me in.

'Nonnie