Updated: We are Just Talking Apes

Jane Goodall explains in the Forward to Paul Hawken’s 2021 book, Regeneration, Homo Sapien means wise ape. She also questions that name since we are also destroying our planet. This may be because we sometimes forget we are animals that are part of the whole system. As Jane Benyus puts it, our actions should be such that it makes life more livable. For more information about her work and information about how to learn what we need to know, I recommend her book and website – Biomimicry. Previous related posts include this and this post.

In a related presentation, Carl Safina gave a fantastic TED talk, “What are animals thinking and feeling?“. In his presentation, he connected all life on planet Earth. He confirmed that other creatures have emotions: fish have personalities, eels have intelligence, whales have empathy, and sharks are rational. These cognitive faculties that some humans insist make us distinct from the animal kingdom are actually shared by all other creatures.

He explains this because the first neurons showed up in jellyfish and how we share the same brains as all living things. With this information, he asks, why should it be un-scientific to “anthropomorphize” conscious life to any animal except humans?

To bring our similarities to all other creatures, he explains how compassion and love are emotions we share with all living things. He ends by explaining how we have the power to make a difference. I encourage you to listen:

While he emphasizes the difference it makes for wildlife, we must remember how other lives affect our lives. For these reasons, I encourage all to Practice Paneugenesis by causing all good through the generation of comprehensive improvements by making pervasive, reciprocal, selfish, selfless, synergistic interactions so everyone and everything benefits. 

Humans are Nature – the Story

This intriguing TED Presentation, Retelling the Story of Humans and Nature, by Damon Gameau. He suggests why we have not followed the story Lovelock explains about our living earth. He also explains how and why we can be thought about as talking apes.

Please share how you improve parts that can help generate comprehensive improvements by creating net-positive, pervasive, reciprocal, selfish, selfless synergistic interactions so everyone and everything benefits, which means the whole system benefits. Thank you.

Be Well’r,
Craig Becker

Be selfish, selfless, & synergistic so everyone and everything benefits!

#SelfishSelflessSynergy

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Contact me: BeWellr@gmail.com