“Happiness held is the seed, happiness shared is the flower” John Harrigan
Resilience helps us to bounce back from adversity. When people are resilient, they are better able to cope with stress and to overcome challenges. Resilience can be built through a variety of factors, including sharing. Sharing and resilience are two closely related concepts. When people share resources, knowledge, and support, it can help them to build resilience in the face of challenges.
There are many ways that sharing can promote resilience. For example, sharing resources can help people to meet their basic needs, such as food, water, and shelter. A community that shares food is more likely to be able to weather a drought or other natural disaster. Similarly, a workplace that shares knowledge is more likely to be able to innovate and adapt to changes in the market. Plus, a family that shares meals and feelings is more likely to be able to cope with a difficult illness or other challenges in the family. Sharing is thus such a great tool. It can help to build resilience, create stronger communities, and make the world a better place.
In nature we see many cooperative relationships too, involving some kind of mutual benefits or sharing. Aphids in a tree canopy offer honeydew and ants offer protection to those aphids in return. Horse chestnut trees help their pollinating bees conserve energy by changing the colour of their flowers from yellow to orange once a bee has successfully visited, thus ensuring more of their own flowers are pollinated. Also bacteria on the roots of peas and beans gain sugars while offering nitrogen to the host plant.
Besides sharing basic resources, sharing knowledge helps people to build social connections. This can reduce isolation. When people feel isolated, they are more likely to feel overwhelmed and hopeless. Sharing can help to connect people with others who have faced similar challenges. This can help them to feel less alone and to learn from another’s experiences. Sharing also means that people can learn new skills from each other and so adapt to change better. This type of sharing or support can help people to cope with difficult emotions by feeling more connected to others. When people feel connected to others, they are more likely to have a sense of belonging and worth. This can help them to cope with stress and to feel more confident in their ability with encouragement from others, to overcome challenges. Sharing generally is a great way to build trust. When people share their resources, knowledge, and support, they are building trust with each other. This trust can be a valuable asset in times of crisis. In conclusion, sharing is a powerful force for good that can promote resilience in individuals, communities, and organizations.
This sort of sharing in a network reminds me of the mycorrhizal fungi web. This network exists hidden beneath the soil, connecting trees, communicating with them about their needs and sharing nutrients between themselves. This allows established trees to give to younger trees or those in need and thus maintains the health of the whole ecosystem via this network of fungi. This web can keep otherwise dead stumps alive by giving them food when the leafless stumps can no longer photosynthesize. These older or “parent” trees are central to the fungal communication system. They are a bit like “elders” in some cultures. If they are removed, this will affect the whole of the forest. As a payback, the fungi receive sugars from the trees roots. This generosity in sharing between species is wonderful. It’s always good too when those who can give more, do so. Wouldn’t it be great if our economic system could be like a giant network of mycorrhizal fungi as a way of sharing and redistributing wealth. Equal societies are after all, happier ones, being more cohesive, altruistic, with better health and less crime.
As time passes, species evolve and build up more and more beneficial connections. The British native Pedunculate Oak shares its habitat and supports over 400 species of life whilst the imported Holme oak is home to very few. The more connections there are the healthier and the more resilient the ecosystem. Nature pulls together scattered nutrients which work together to create growth. When cells work together in trees and trees work together with other trees this creates something greater, which helps to stabilise forests and so ecosystems.
We are approaching Autumn harvest which is a time for getting together, sharing and a time of celebration for many cultures. In some countries, there are festivals and feasts to mark the occasion as crops are gathered in. In temperate climates, this is when many fruits and vegetables are ripe and ready to be picked. Some common autumn harvest crops include: apples, pears, plums, blackberries, pumpkins, corn and beets.
Autumn harvest is also a time to reflect on the abundance of the earth and to give thanks for the food that we have. Some of the other benefits of the autumn harvest are that it provides fresh, healthy food, supports local farmers and businesses, reduces food waste and plastic and it’s a time to connect with nature and to appreciate the beauty of the changing seasons. Autumn harvest is a special time of year. It is a time to gather with loved ones, to enjoy the bounty of the earth, and to give thanks for all that we have.
Finally, it’s important to remember that if we are going to regenerate our wonderful planet and tackle the biggest issues of our time, climate change and ecocide, we will have to share more equitably with other living beings. Albert Einstein wisely stated that our task must be to widen our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature. The solutions are there and we have the capacity as humans to pursue them. The question I’ll leave you with is – do we have the will ?
Katie James
Katie James runs Walking for Wellness groups in Bramley, Hampshire. The next walk is on Sunday 10th September. These are aimed at helping people build resilience by looking and learning from nature. If interested in coming along, please get in touch.