Commensalism - the way not to see our world!!

 Glenys suggested that we have a word of the week 'Commensalism' - this is the result of my musings as the word defied my attempts to put it into a poem.

21 October 2020

Commensalism

For me, ‘commensalism’ would be a good choice if I had to choose one word to represent the arrogance and reductionism of Science and our ill considered beliefs that we can live separate from the web of nature.

Commensalism is a cold, scientific concept that states that in a relationship between two species, one species can benefit while the partner species is unaffected. This concept completely overlooks a major factor that is crucial to the survival of all nature – and of mankind: that we all live by cooperating and supporting each other in many, often subtle ways in a complex interconnected web of life. No species can exist without having an effect on all species with which it interacts. Just because the affects of these interactions might not be visible to our eyes, or measurable by our scientific equipment, does not mean they do not exist and are not essential to the survival of both species, and ultimately, our own survival.

We are brought up to view nature through a competitive model, ‘the survival of the fittest’. However, if we view nature through a lens of cooperation, and view the interactions between species with the awe, wonder and reverence they deserve, all interactions between species can be seen as mutually beneficial, even if members of one species die in order that other species can live, as by dying they give the other species the gift of life.

We cannot bring back the thousands of species which have been driven to extinction, especially in recent years, through man’s greed and thoughtlessness. As a result, our ecosystems have become increasingly unstable, and close to collapse. We do, however, still have the choice to cultivate within ourselves a reverence for all life, and gratitude for our amazing world. This will not save our species from extinction, but it may somewhat slow the process, and in any case, it will bring us joy and a sense of gratitude in our final years on earth.