Ecology — The Study of Home
Relational Ecology
If we look at the Etymology of Ecology — Eco- means Home, or House, or Surroundings/Environment. And -logy means the Study, the Knowledge, the Science of…
So, the Study of Home.
Today Ecology is defined as the science that studies the relationship between organisms, each other, and their environment. And in a wider picture, the relationship between components of a system, with their environment and with each other (and other systems). Or said a bit differently, the totality, or the pattern of relationships of components within a system, with each other, their environment and with other systems.
Relational Ecology
It might be a slight tautology to talk about relational ecology, since ecology in itself implies relationship, or at least how the science or study of ecology is described by academia.
But I still like it — as it highlights some aspects of what comes with being in a relationship.
I found a nice text about relational ecology mentioning three aspects playing into this, namely diversity, vulnerability and imagining new spaces of connection.
I come to relational ecology from the ecotherapy, and nature assisted mindfulness/therapy field (as well as the animal assisted therapy field). My experience of seeing how it is often easier for people to “deal” with relationships through and with another being/entity than a human — is for me linking well to all three of these aspects.
And I deliberately do not use the word “connect” here — as dealing with relationships is as much about connecting as disconnecting. And without any positive or negative connotation involved for either connecting or disconnecting. Both are a natural part of a relationship, as well as necessary. It isn’t until there is an imbalance in a relationship between the flow of connecting/disconnecting that problems arise.
Diversity
We humans are a pattern seeking species. To understand things, we search for patterns. To find patterns, we categorize things (and concepts), and we sort them, based on similarities and differences. Things need to be similar and different enough to be lumped together, viewed from our human perspective.
To be able to see a being fully we must leave comparisons behind. We cannot see a being if we compare them to some other being. Humans have for the longest time studied other animals, also the rest of our ecology, as a mean to understand ourselves. Meaning we compare those or that which we study to ourselves. Instead of studying other beings, our ecology (that we are a part of), purely to study them, for their own sake. As if studying e.g. horses is not interesting, unless we study them in relation to and in comparison, with humans.
It is also a human trait to be anthropomorphic. We all do it — we all humanize everyone else, every other being. To anthropomorphize is part of our cognitive toolbox, together with pattern seeking, tools that we use to understand things and phenomena. It is not bad, it just is, but we need awareness of it, as we need an awareness of how we function and are, of what we do, to understand. And how that makes embracing diversity hard for us, as we focus on finding similarities and differences, putting ourselves in the center. There is more to our difficulty in embracing diversity, but comparing others with ourselves is one of them, instead of seeing others as interesting in themselves, without any comparisons. In this way we miss out on the unique ways of other beings. We become blinded by our own ways of understanding and learning about our world. Our cognition becomes our lens that distorts what we see. And we forget that we can understand in other ways, e.g. with our sensibility, sensations, and emotions.
Using “other ways of knowing” would help us understand that we are part of our ecology, that we ARE nature, not only someone outside of it, studying it. We are part of diversity, but we are neither the template, nor the center.
Vulnerability
We are all vulnerable. All beings are vulnerable — all the time. We humans spend a great deal of time fighting this vulnerability, to make us feel more secure, protected, safe.
Our human vulnerability has greatly impacted our environment. To the point where it is damaging our own living space. Not to mention other beings that share, our used to share our living space with us.
As long as we avoid or try to live as this vulnerability does not exist, is part of all relationships, we will create imbalances in those relationships, between ourselves as humans, between us and other beings, and between us and our environment.
As diversity is the norm in the ecology of earth, so is vulnerability — and those two aspects of relationships are what make them stronger, not weaker.
Imagining new spaces of connection
The text offers three different ways, or questions about how we can imagine new spaces of connection.
1. Where and how can we encounter or contribute to encounters between human and the other than human part of our ecology?
2. How can we see that each ecology is unique? How can we foster our ecological sensibility?
3. How can we create new norms, beyond human categorization? Where each being is truly seen in their uniqueness? Where comparisons are not the way we operate, but where equality is the goal — respecting each for themselves, no matter if there is any “use” or benefits for humans? But truly allow independence and autonomous rights — making sure there is equal value for all — within an ecology and between ecologies?
I have read this text and used it as inspiration. It has helped me see my own work clearer.
Application Example of a Relational Ecology
In MiMer Centre we work with other ways of knowing and bring people out into different ecologies to observe feral-living horses. This creates a lot of meetings (one of them is a meeting with oneself). We invite and facilitate seeing, without comparison and as little humanization we can muster (we ARE humans, and that is not a bad thing, but seeing our human species-specific traits as clearly as we can — supporting awareness of us as unique subjects, but also part of the human species, with our own species-specific traits, behaviors, needs and dynamics).
Our goal is human growth and re-imagining our human relationship to and within our ecology, different ecologies, and thereby re-negotiating our relationship with other humans, as well as with ourselves.
I often say that while you will learn a lot about feral-living horses on these workshops and courses, you will learn more about yourself. We call these workshops and courses “Rewild your Heart”. A name inspired by the title of Marc Bekoff’s book “Rewilding Our Hearts: Building Pathways of Compassion and Coexistence (2014).
We run an online introduction course to this way of thinking and working. You find it here: https://mimer-centre-school.teachable.com/p/rewild-your-heart-spring-2024
We share the notion with Marc Bekoff that rewilding of “nature” and other animals will not help — unless we also rewild ourselves.
“We do not need more science. We need a new mind-set and social movement that is transformational and centers on empathy, compassion, and being proactive. By rewilding our hearts, we focus on building strong and intimate connections with nature, and these experiences are essential for effective social change. This is deep work. “
— Mark Bekoff
References
Bekoff, Marc (2014). Rewilding Our Hearts: Building Pathways of Compassion and Coexistence
