“What would happen if we shifted our culture of rights, whose narratives center on what’s mine, to a culture of responsibilities, whose narratives center on what’s ours?” We could nurture relationships of gratitude and appreciation of shared abundance.” ~ Robin Wall Kimmerer via You are Here, Whitney Phillips
Last week, we practiced expressing gratitude for unearned gifts. Beyond saying thank you, reciprocity also means sometimes taking action, or offering your gifts in return. What exactly are our responsibilities in the web of relationships? What gifts do you have to offer?
The natural world shows us how this reciprocity works. For example, bees and flowers have a relationship where each benefits in some way from the other. Flowers provide nectar and pollen for the bees to feed their colony. Bees help the flowers reproduce by spreading pollen between the flowers, enabling the flowers to produce seeds for new life.
This is called “biological mutualism” and this process benefits us humans and other living organisms as well. We rely on plant life to live. It’s fair to say that bees are crucial to food production. Without the bees, we wouldn't have delicious honey or flowers. Over the past decades, bee populations are drastically declining, for reasons unknown, threatening to disrupt this important cycle. So, everything we can do to help bees flourish makes a difference.
In Chicago, Lisa Hish led a group who decided to reimagine their neighbourhood in terms of what would allow bees and other pollinating insects to thrive. They began to see every lawn, road median and shoulder, balcony, and rooftop as an opportunity for life. Why not use them to plant native species with no pesticides for beauty and the bees? Hish calls this “micro-rewilding,” which each of us can do in our own yards or even on an apartment balcony. Let’s hear it for the bees.
What responsibilities do we have for other living species in our place?
We all have responsibilities, whether to a job or family or friends. Sometimes, though, the needs of non-human species take a backseat to our human obligations. Yet, there are simple ways that we can give back for the gifts we receive from other species.
In an article in Emergence Magazine, Robin Wall Kimmerer describes the gifts of serviceberries, a plant that gives abundantly where she lives. The berries are beloved for their tastiness and medicinal value, as well as their beautiful white flowers in early spring. She asks,
“What could I give these plants in return for their generosity? It could be a direct response, like weeding or water or a song of thanks that sends appreciation out on the wind. Or indirect, like donating to my local land trust so that more habitat for the gift givers will be saved, or making art that invites others into the web of reciprocity.”
In the more than human world, each living entity gives what it has to offer in order to create the conditions for mutual flourishing. Reciprocity occurs in a complex web of relationships, not necessarily a one on one exchange. Sometimes mutualism happens in a circular and pay it forward fashion.
In Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer describes the Three Sisters Garden (Indigenous origins), which includes corn, beans, and squash. Beans are high in protein. They take nitrogen from the air and turn it into nutrients. That is their gift. Corn is an excellent form of starch. But neither beans nor corn have the vitamins provided by squash. When these plants grow together, they’re less susceptible to pest outbreaks. The gifts of each are needed by the others and together they thrive.
The Three Sisters Garden teaches us the importance of sharing our gifts and supporting each other, especially in times of need.
Practice
For this week, notice the many examples of biological mutualism in your place. Look for reciprocal pairs or webs of relationships. Do certain flowers bloom together? How about mosses on decaying wood or stone? Or predator-prey relationships? Share your discoveries in the comments or on Instagram and add the hashtag #seeingyourplace2022.
Since you are part of the web of life, what are your responsibilities to ensure that all life flourishes? How do you give back? What gifts do you offer? How do you share from your abundance (whether donating money to a cause or sharing non-monetary gifts)?
Resources
Examples of Biological Mutualism
Bumble Bee Watch through Citizen Science
Find out more about Pollinator Pathways