When we glance across the road at the faces of strangers in our vicinity, it is mirrored by looking out over a field or a stand of trees and having no knowledge of the other species living in our midst. Altruism in humans may have arisen through sexual selection as an attractive quality in mates or as part of a reciprocal process of favour-sharing in return for protection, sustenance, and so forth, we do not know. Certainly, neuroscientists have pinned down regions of the brain associated with altruistic acts, compassion, empathy, the mental seeds of moral conduct. Regardless of its innate biological existence, altruism is associated with knowledge.
And so, in an age where many of us have little knowledge of the habits or even the identities of many of the plants and species that surround us, I recommend a daily effort to recognise something you have not noticed or understood before. Step outside and take a different path. Stop at the first bird, insect, blade of grass, flower, tree, bush, fruit, etc, you don't know, and watch it for as long as the creature or situation permits. Gather in the mind every detail to make it memorable - using metaphor, simile, anything to encourage its recall later. Then go home and try and identify it. You may have to make several trips to be absolutely sure, but once you know what you've seen, begin to notice it more and more. And begin to read about it from others of our generation who do have knowledge of this species. Is it endangered? How can you help it thrive? As the world comes more and more into lavish detail and focus, it will begin to speak back to you. It will whisper against some things you do and take for granted. It will call out for you to take different routes by different means - to think differently altogether. It will counsel you to care about more than the human world and to espouse new values and discard others.
Melanie Challenger is a freelance writer. She is the author of ‘Galatea’, her award-winning first collection of poems, and co-author, with Zlata Filipovic, of ‘Stolen Voices’, a history of twentieth century conflict compiled through war diaries. During her research for ‘On Extinction’, she was a Fellow of the AHRC Centre for the Evolution of Cultural Diversity at University College London from 2007-2010 and International Fellow at the British Antarctic Survey for International Polar Year 2007-2008. Her work was also a recipient of the British Council Darwin Awards.
Melanie will be speaking next Monday 28 Nov here at The School of Life on 'Reconnecting with Nature'. Click here for more information.
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