Historically, it has been taken for granted by most human societies that the world, beyond humanity itself, is alive and aware. Indeed, most societies (but not our contemporary global capitalist one) have taken for granted that humanity and the world exist in a symbiotic relationship that entails obligation, reciprocity, and care.

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2 pages, double-spaced. Times New Roman, 12-pt font.

Historically, it has been taken for granted by most human societies that the world, beyond humanity itself, is alive and aware. Indeed, most societies (but not our contemporary global capitalist one) have taken for granted that humanity and the world exist in a symbiotic relationship that entails obligation, reciprocity, and care.

Author Paul Kingsworth has argued that, “The notion that the non-human world is largely inanimate is often represented as scientific or rational, but it is really more like a modern superstition.” Science, itself, has come to demonstrate recently that plants and mycelium and minerals, not only communicate with each other, but also demonstrate cooperation and care, often in ways that directly challenge Darwinian notions of competition as the key to survival. Further, the reciprocity between plants, mycelium, and minerals begins to trouble, at a granular level, easy distinctions between which beings can be categorized as “living” and which can be categorized as “non-living.”

In an effort to awaken our minds to the non-human beings around us, you will visit the same plant, mineral, or body of water each day for three days in a row. Contemplate this non-human being and sit with it for at least 10 minutes each time. Write about your experiences. Pay attention to the times of day: are you visiting at the same time of day? If not, how does the quality of the light and the temperature of the air affect your experience? Do you notice the being affecting you in any way? What did you come to understand about this being as a result of this practice? What did you come to understand about your relation to it?

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