Today, we'd like to turn back to our discussion of Syntropy – this year's blog theme – and some reflection on the human participation in our global ecosystem.
Undoubtedly, the easiest way to see Syntropy in action is in natural/wild, untampered-with ecosystems. Marine environments, forest, jungle, plains, if allowed to flourish on their own without interference (aka an entropic force), will inherently organize into Syntropy, where all members of the ecosystem contribute to the flourishing of the whole in some way. The trees die and decay; the decaying matter feeds the new plants and trees; the trees bear fruit or nuts that nourish the birds; the birds carry away the nuts or seeds and begin the process anew in a different location, and so forth. And as the perfect living example of the Syntropic force, this process will continue like the proverbial positive snowball until an Entropic force (usually human interference, but occasionally catastrophic weather events et al) stops it and pushes it in the other direction , towards dissolution and dis-integration, rather than organization.
When I was a little girl, I had a beautiful children's book by Alvin Tresselt titled The Dead Tree that illustrated this so poetically. It was not my favorite book by a long shot. It was a gift, not something I had picked out for myself, and it had little to do with the fantasy worlds I liked to lose myself in. And yet, it is a book I have come back to time and time again and have never forgotten. Its message is so gentle and subtle, yet so powerful – everyone in it benefits from, and everyone contributes to, the Syntropy of the forest, even after death.
But humans are an integral and undeniable part of our global ecosystem. We can no longer place the unspoiled wild as our ideal objective. We must envision a world in which humans are not only integral, but a positive contributing member of this larger ecosystem. So, I've begun lately to think about all human interactions as ecosystems. When we talk about the “human ecosystem,” generally we're speaking about the gut microbiome and the other assorted bacteria and microbes that live on or inside of us. But speaking of human communities as ecosystems is also a very tried and true idea, yet have you ever actually tried to live it, day in and day out? To see every action, expression, intention in the context of the health of the ecosystem, be it marriage, family, workplace, town, etc. My family is an ecosystem, and I've begin to ask myself if what I'm doing or saying in any given moment is starting the ball rolling towards Syntropy, or if it's going to be Entropic in nature, taking us further from where we want to be. And if so, then why am I doing it? This consciousness and awareness is not an easy task. But I think it's shifts of this kind, and the vision of what could flourish and thrive in this environment, that have the potential to make a real difference. Though governmental support for this concept would be a great boon, Syntropy begins with us, with you – the forest has no legislature or executive branch, the process begins with one plant, one animal, one dead tree, and then it spreads and grows into a thriving collective environment.
I've heard some say we must focus on saving the wild spaces and leave the humans to deal with the mess they've made. And I've heard others say that we must fix what's wrong with our society first, and once that's achieved, then we can turn to and care for the more-than-human. But many of us feel we need a simultaneous, synergistic, multi-pronged effort. If we try to stop environmental degradation and save natural ecosystems, without also mending our human ecosystems, I fear whatever we do achieve will never stick. For me, this is the gift of Ecological Civilization–a fundamentally Syntropic concept, steeped in ideas of collective enhancement and upliftment on all levels: social, cultural, ecological, and much more – enhancement that breeds, inspires, and encourages more of the same. Stay tuned in the coming months for much more content on Ecological Civilization and all Mary Evelyn and John learned and experienced on their recent trip to China.