Why I hate 'nature' slightly less

On being another through an interspecies council

Last Saturday I was a bluebell.

This was an odd experience for me, particularly as I dislike the simplification to ‘nature’. Or the anthropomorphism of other species.

I feel the ‘we are nature’ discussion is a distraction. For me it is both true and meaningless. If we are nature then all we do is natural… so… what? It leads us back to where we started.

Our challenge is to embrace wildness, in ourselves and the world around. And a big part of this is learning to value the unknown and mystery. Rather than somehow boil its essence down into a single entity with singular agency. Trying to capture all life and its interactions into ‘nature’ feels like part of the problem.

I also struggle with the idea that we can imagine what it is to be another species and speak for them, for similar reasons. For example see the famous essay on ‘What is it like to be a bat?’ by Thomas Nagel (but be warned this might lead to the experience of being a rabbit running into a hole)

But I felt I should test my scepticism. And the perfect opportunity emerged with an interspecies council happening near me and on a day I could attend.

So I wrote my application. Including my doubts. And was accepted.

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A few days later I learnt that I was to be a bluebell.

I’d previously looked up bluebells to learn more about them, and thought I was well informed. But it was very different to research them to try represent them. This led me to go deeper into the stories rather than just the scientific facts, and the relationship and meanings they have held over time.

I explored the mythology around bluebells, how they were intertwined with fairies, and the deep woods. Places where people might become lost.

The bluebells and their fairies, pre-Disney, were as much dark and dangerous as they were magic. You disturbed them at risk of death and disappearance. Their fleeting beauty and fragrance a warning as well as an enticement.

The session itself was also surprisingly rich. It was clearly framed that this wasn’t truth – it wasn’t a literal attempt to represent another being. It was an exercise in imagination, in widening perspectives.

‘I’ tried becoming ‘we’. We tried to play with time. What would it mean to outlive an ancient forest, and also signal where new oaks could return?

It helped me notice some of my pre-occupations. Bluebells were advocating for more humility, more appreciation of the unknown and mystery. Strangely similar to what I’m interested in. And this was visible around the room. Different species spoke from unique positions about very human concerns.

But it was softened, given more space, more possibility. The consideration of other species creating more consideration for other people’s points of view. More openness to different ideas. And also more closeness to each other, in sharing this.

Seeing the difficulty of representing another species, also highlighted the difficulty of people claiming to represent other people. It showed the deep challenge and importance of care. And how complexity is precious but easily destroyed or put aside when there is pressure to simplify and boil things down to money.

It’s a reminder that so much of our current system makes money from death and eradication of other life. Land is seen as a resource to be taken from, rather than a source of life and meaning.

This was overall an incredible experience, and one I would very much recommend.

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Does it make me less sceptical about ideas like ‘nature on the board’?

I’m not sure. I have more appreciation for how this can be a valuable exercise. But still have reservations about it’s role in creating change. The organisations and people involved in interspecies councils and nature on the board are already convinced of the importance of wildness and life. I’m not sure it would work if you asked Exxon to give nature a space on their board, or ask Trump to imagine being a beetle.

But perhaps that’s not the aim. There is value in providing sustenance to the organisations and people who are already open to these approaches. And can use them to revitalise themselves and what they do.

I certainly left re-energised and with a fresh appreciation for the wonders of life, and people, around me 🌱

If you have the chance to get involved, take it! Even (especially) if the idea seems a bit jarring, like it did for me. Find out more here - https://www.moralimaginations.com/interspecies-council

With huge thanks to

Moral Imaginations

, Wyrd Futures and Feedback for hosting brilliantly (and accepting my slightly cynical application!)

It was also wonderful to meet up with some other alumni from

The Bio-Leadership Project

→ Red Grouse, Common Lizard and Yellow Meadow Ant 💚