Page 25 - NAMAH-Oct-2023
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Namah                            Cultivating an Ecological Consciousness





        or capitalist democracies. Developed nations  are many ways plants show evidence of
        that knocked on the doors of Asian countries  intelligence. Some of them are propagation
        to open up their markets and go bullish on  manoeuvres, distress signalling or healing a
        capitalism, are themselves protecting their  sick member. Plants fix nitrogen in the soil
        own farmers by restricting imports. Let us  and enrich it for future generation of plants.
        consider the example of India to illustrate the  Mother redwood trees provide nutrition to
        governmental measures in place to counter  daughter trees through the roots. The mycelia,
        market forces and monsoonal irregularities.  a fungi network under the earth, senses a
        There is a governmental price control on  sick tree and channels nutrients to her. This
        essential foods such as rice, lentils, cooking  same network of fungi can cure depression
        oils, sugar. The government buys these  in a human being when they touch the soil
        products from private farmers and stores  with their bare hands. The edges of roots
        them in granaries across the country. Each  are the brains that probe around the soil
        family gets to buy a certain quota of these  and take the path that is best for the plant
        products at an affordable price. These  (4). The mechanisms in which some plants
        measures were implemented after several  form symbiotic relationships with others
        years of crop failure and famine. As for  who can be their host, is another amazing
        subsidies, most countries give cheap water  phenomenon. When bugs come to eat a plant,
        and electricity to farmers, and grant generous  this attacked plant secretes a smell that attracts
        loans. But no government can protect its  the enemy of the bug. This is pure cunning
        people from natural disasters. Earthquakes,  and a marvel. The plants match the attacking
        tsunamis, long-term droughts, massive floods,  pest’s chemicals to its predator insect or
        — are moments when humanity realises the  bird. When we catalogue the different ways
        enormous power of the Being they wanted  in which plants propagate themselves, we
        to outsmart.                             are left amazed and wonder how we ever
                                                 marvelled at human technological inventions.
                                                 There are helicopter seeds that float in air.
                                                 Some have corkscrew-like endings that
                                                 burrow into the earth where they land.
                                                 Oak seeds are so strong they can travel
                                                 long distances in the stomach of animals,
                                                 untouched by digestive acids. A forest fire
                                                 is needed to pop open the seeds. They are
                                                 naturally preserved for posterity. Humans
                                                 now imitate these with ‘seed bombing’. Seeds
        Nature is intelligent                    are covered in a shell of clay and scattered,
                                                 sometimes from helicopters, to cover a wide
        Nature is smart and sentient. She listens to  area. The seeds use rain and sunshine to anchor
        humans and provides healing if we give her  themselves and grow into trees (5). Learning
        the chance. She fades away and dies if she  from nature and adopting her ways is called
        is ill-treated psychologically. She reacts to  biomimicry and it is a growing movement,
        aggressors and can protect herself. There  full of empathy and gratitude for nature.


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