Generally, only lifelong interactions involving close physical and biochemical contact can properly be considered symbiotic.--Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbiosis
While hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, I would send my journals home so my friend could post them online. People would respond to my entries via e-mail. One of my favorite and highly cherished comment was: "I love reading your journals because unlike others, you do not try to conquer the trail, but love it for what it is."
As natural beings, I believe that being in tune with our environment is much better than fighting it.
This applies to every situation, whether at work, play, or adventure.
Rather than dominate as though we could control something, we can learn the give and take of two entities.
We do have a natural affinity for the wilderness. It can be calming, it can stimulate, refresh and invigorate all of our senses.
If we become afraid, its due to lack of exposure to our natural selves. The more we experience our woodlands, the more confident we will become.
I firmly believe that our children should learn the symbiotic relationship we have with our planet.
When we destroy and disrespect it, we destroy ourselves. One only needs to read the daily news or research the chemicals backfiring to know this is true.
The pesticides and chemicals we add to our environment have come to haunt us with birth defects, learning disabilities, cancers, and disease. Some refer to it as the planet fighting back.
Many times our media bombard us with ridiculous stories of celebrity scandals, royalty and weddings, or some obscure victim. One tiny thing is used to distract us from the real news that is important for understanding the big picture.
Team work is a short term version of one kind of symbiotic relationship. We realize that if we work together, we can make progress with the least amount of stress. In a symbiotic relationship, the things I need you naturally produce, or aid in production. The things you need I create, or aid in production. When one party quits, it become parasitic.
We should not be parasites in our world, always taking, and depleting, destroying and dominating.
An online book that is available at:
http://chrismolloy.com/www/p131
In this book, Richard Graves teaches survival and wilderness skills. He describes and promotes harvesting, instead of destroying, as a means of obtaining what you need. For instance using a portion of bark or branch from several trees instead of cutting a tree down preserves the life of the forest. It becomes a natural pruning process which assists the tree in growing.
Daily choices indicate whether we are living with a dominating mindset or in a symbiotic relationship.
In human relationships, domination leads to unhappiness. Symbiotic relationships are sustainable.
