communication within nature

Slinking into the weekend after a week of bitter cold, I wanted to re-energize my mind and warm up my body by staying in a bit. By accidentally coming across two documentaries on nature, I was surprised to have been enthralled by them. Although knowing me, I guess it’s not that surprising. It was fascinating to learn the varying intricacies of communication occurring within nature. With the first documentary I watched, Koko: The Gorilla Who Talks to People, we learn that Koko the gorilla can speak through sign language. Her relationship with her “mother” and caregiver Dr. Penny Patterson is so unique. Koko cried and mourned when she learned that her friends, a kitten and a gorilla companion, passed away. She becomes full of joy and excitement when she sees and meets a gorilla boy she has a crush on. It’s crazy to see the depth of emotion and thinking she has; not because I don’t think animals are capable of it, but because she can express it to us. How many of us have thought of the idea of talking with our cats or dogs and knowing what they thought about things?

 

The second nature documentary I watched, is called “What Plants Talk About” on Nature. A few things that came up were how plants protected themselves from predators, how their roots’ growth beneath the surface is vast and all connecting and how plants of a family will delegate resources in ways to survive and combat other families in their vicinity. As often as I walk and hike in nature, I reflect of many things. Admittedly, however, I don’t think I ever really thought about the ways in how plants populate our land masses. Also, that within their growth, there is competition, there is defense mechanisms and survival tactics. And there is a unity through all of it.

These films taught me that along with the basic ideology of “we are all connected” (by biology, environment and universe), these grand subject themes are composed of the tiniest, minute connections that is often unknown by the general public. That there is so much out there that we have yet to understand. What can these living organisms tell us about how we are treating them, what they know about the functions of the world and how we can all work together, so we don’t eliminate our chances in saving this planet?