Book 112 - A Year of Magical Learning

Reflection Title: We’re All in This Together!

Book - The Inner Lives of Animals: Love, Grief, and Compassion – Surprising Observations of a Hidden World by Peter Wohlleben

Book Description: Through vivid stories of devoted pigs, two-timing magpies, and scheming roosters, The Inner Life of Animals weaves the latest scientific research into how animals interact with the world with Peter Wohlleben's personal experiences in forests and fields. We learn that horses feel shame, deer grieve, and goats discipline their kids. Ravens call their friends by name, rats regret bad choices, and butterflies choose the very best places for their children to grow up. In this captivating book, Peter Wohlleben follows the hugely successful The Hidden Life of Trees with insightful stories into the emotions, feelings, and intelligence of animals around us. Animals are different from us in ways that amaze us—and they are also much closer to us than we ever would have thought.

Reflection:

As much as humans like to think that we are special and unique, we are not. Don’t get me wrong, humans are pretty amazing, but special…we are not. We are no more special than the trees, bacteria, inspects, horses, sloths, dogs, beavers, plants, fungi, octopus’, lions, lichens, or any other form of life on this planet.

After reading books on this journey like The Inner Lives of Animals, The Hidden Lives of Trees, The Entangled Life, On the Origin of Species, Other Minds, and I Contain Multitudes, I have a whole new perspective on this world. I used to think we were special. I used to think we were the only ones in this world bestowed the power of imagination, logic, communication, etc. I now know how wrong I was.

What is truly special is life itself, in my opinion.

This world, and all the life forms that inhabit it, are incredible. It is so humbling to think sometimes just how much time and effort this world has put into the most basic amoeba to the most majestic lion. There are billions of years of work that has went into each living entity to get us to where we all are today. It is beautiful to behold and imagine what it can become in the next billion years.

Why do we all do what we do…I have no idea! What I do know is that each one of us has a unique purpose in this world or we wouldn’t be here. What I do know is that each of the lifeforms in this world are all somehow magically interconnected in this grand mosaic that we call Earth. I can’t look at my dog, a tiny mouse, a mushroom, or even a spider these days without thinking what their life is like and purpose must be.

This journey has opened my eyes to the world around me, and not just other humans, but all the other beings in this world. It is weird, fun, and humbling all at the same time.

At the end of the day, we are all in this life together. Let’s strive to do our best to understand the purposes of all those around us, and make our one shot at life as magical as possible.  

Question: In what ways can you challenge yourself to better understand the world around you?

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Links:

What is The Year of Magical Learning? An Introduction

YOML Podcast Discussion - Coming Soon

YOML Bookstore - The Inner Lives of Animals: Love, Grief, and Compassion – Surprising Observations of a Hidden World by Peter Wohlleben