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

I've been doing a lot of reading and thinking lately for my 'Search for Sanity' thread. When it comes to mental health, it seems there's a lot we still don't understand very well. A big part of mental health, though, is connected with relationships. Now there's a lot of knowledge that human relationships are important - all sorts of relationships: parent/children or sibling relationships - or other relationships with blood relatives (here in South Africa there's still a very strong recognition of extended families); relationships with friends; being in a society where one can make a positive contribution and develop as a person with others' support. All these things add up to happiness, mental health and good functioning.

But to me there's another and a neglected aspect. We have relationships not just to other *humans*. We also have relationships with non-humans.

Of course many people have pets, and for most pet owners the relationship they have with their pets are quite important. Pets honestly do love people and express that love like other humans rarely do! People grow very attached to their pets. People truly feel that having pets in their lives truly contribute to their life quality in a very significant way. It has been proven that pets can help elderly, lonely or sick people to cope better.

To me, pets are 'people'! In a very fundamental way. This is something that I find other people have a hard time understanding, but truly for me there is no rigid divide between humans and non-humans. We are all 'people' in a way - to me that is, but it is simply an inescapable outflow of the holistic philosophy that I have. There simply is no way to cleanly separate humans from non-humans with the concepts of this philosophy. But that's not today's story.

If people can recognise that pets have value ... what about wild animals out there? And what about plants?

To me, there's always been a very powerful sense of being a part of Nature, and of having a connection with *everything* that is out there. There's always been a sense of experiencing another living being, as a friend, as something towards which I feel benevolent feelings. Well, unless an act of overt hostility has taken place, like a mosquito biting me, or a flea biting my cat! But apart from such overt acts of hostility, and inescapable conflict, I feel goodwill towards everything out there.

I want things to go well with others. With other humans, certainly! Why would I begrudge anyone anything? If others are happy it makes me happy! If everyone's happy it benefits everyone. A happy society is one that functions well, and in which everyone can both contribute and also derive benefit.

Now if this is true of our human societies, what about the natural world out there? If things go well in Nature, it is good for man and beast - and plant! I think every human person should have access to pristine natural areas, and time for exploration and nature-experience. This can only be beneficial to happiness! There's nothing so calming and productive of deep happiness than being in an area of beautiful unspoilt Nature, and seeing a diversity of beautiful wild creatures going about their lives. In Nature, I don't see much of the grim 'struggle for survival' which is supposed to be the law of the jungle. Most of the time, I just see all sorts of things just carrying on life as usual; the occasions of hunting or being hunted only happen infrequently and for a specific ecological reason. Death in Nature exists so there can be renewal, change, progress.

Experiencing Nature and learning about it can help take us out of our context, our own personal daily worries. But also it can give us deep clues about the nature of Life, of Existence, as well. Human life, human existence, is by far not the only kind of life or existence out there. By focusing too much on ourselves as humans, it's as if we're shoving our heads up our own backsides. If we pull them out, look around, see things from a much wider perspective, we get a much enlarged point of view. Embracing this larger view, we become larger ourselves. Our appreciation of things, *including* ourselves and each other becomes broader and deeper.

In short: we humans need Nature. We need to experience it, we need to reflect on it. Every child must have exposure to Nature, to animals and plants, as a matter of course. This is more than a right, it is a necessity for health and wellbeing. The millions of children who are currently growing up nature-deprived, whether in cities or in slums, demonstrate a failure of our modern society.

Furthermore: we as a society must recognise that it is imperative to maintain the health of Nature as well. By that I mean global and local biodiversity and ecological stability. It's not just that if this is harmed, we will suffer the consequences such as droughts, floods, famines and disease epidemics; it is also that Nature is something essential to us by nature, and as such, any harm to any aspect of it, is an immediate harm to ourselves.

Willem dear

What a most beautiful entry. Well done.

I am so glad that you managed to "save" some of those marvellous indigenous plants which were going to be thrown away Perhaps you should set up a business and offer to "save" plants that are going to become extinct. You could start a flower reserve and call it the Hootoo Wild flower reserve and then we could all come and visit you= virtually!!

go well,

Christiane alsoRan80
NB
wine improves with age.

Fortuinately so do most human beings. !!
So glad that you have met a nice young person.

There are many of them around, and they get even nicer as they get older. Tthe world of human beings is improving I am sure. !!Although we still have a long way to go.

Hello again AR80 and thanks for reading and commenting! Setting up a business to save threatened plants ... well I honestly don't know how to do that. At the moment I try and do what I can. The thing is, I need people to do that with ... I need access to places ... both these things are very hard to get. I try what I can, with my limited means. I have here at home my nursery, but it's small ... if I had a larger place I could make it into a botanical garden but how do I get a larger place? It all costs money! Which I don't really have.

I'm working towards this, bit by bit ... stay tuned.

Willem,

You have expressed very eloquently what I feel also about Nature. I really think our detachment from the natural world is the cause of much unrest. I was reading about a journalist who had bought a piece of woodland, as much as an escape from the 'rat race' and humanity as anything, but he is spending hours there, just enjoying the wildlife and living a very basic existence. I will see if I can find a link. I really envied him.

I envy you too, being so close to Nature. I am lucky to have visitors to my humble patch, but would love to get out more and see what's about.

Websailor

Hello Websailor and thanks for your comments!

I find these words very interesting ...

'.... and living a very basic existence.'

There is a thing I believe in strongly, and this is the value of a simple and basic life! Especially in material terms: we usually do not need so many 'things' as we have or want. I am very attracted to the 'stoic' philosophy. By decomplicating our outward lives, by becoming 'less' we can actually become 'more' - more in touch with our essence simply as living beings and relating to each other simply as that.

Anyways I myself don't 'get out' as much as I should. I'll let you folks know when I do so again! There's a patch of wild land very close to my home, so I don't really have an excuse.

You seem actually to get lot more wildlife visiting your 'humble patch' than I get on mine!