We are engaged in a mutually beneficial, parasitic relationship with nature (lemmyunchained.net)

submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Half shower thought, half stoner thought. It may seem obvious, but I was dwelling on the point for a while, deeper and deeper.

We exist in a symbiotic relationship with nature, a sort of balanced trade of breaths. Trees release oxygen which we breathe in to survive, and in return, we release carbon dioxide that fuels their photosynthesis. In this manner, we are locked in a reciprocal, almost parasitic yet mutually beneficial relationship with nature.

We are entwined in an unending dance with the natural world, each sustaining the one other.

✌️💛

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[-] [email protected] 4 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

There's a word for the kind of organism-to-organism relationship you're describing-- it's "mutualistic" symbiosis. Although, I don't actually think what you're describing is exactly covered by the term, since you're thinking of the way humans are part of all of nature, not co-evolving with one other species.

Still-- Humans are part of many of the processes of nature, including food webs, the cellular respiration/photosynthesis cycle you mentioned, and evolution.

It turns out that we are not even distinct from nature in most meaningful ways! It's nice to feel connected to nature, and to recognize how interconnected we are with our world :)

this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2023

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