The Forgotten Wisdom of Nature

Have we lost touch with the very wisdom that could save our planet?

Certainly! Here’s a 3-4 paragraph SEO-optimized abstract for the video titled “The Forgotten Wisdom of Nature,” narrated by Janine Benyus:


In “The Forgotten Wisdom of Nature,” Janine Benyus explores the profound intelligence that exists in the natural world—an intelligence we have largely overlooked or forgotten. This video delves into how nature, through billions of years of evolution, has mastered the art of living sustainably on this planet. From the intricate designs of wasp nests to the efficient ways plants and animals interact with their environment, nature holds solutions to many of the challenges we face today.

As we increasingly grapple with issues like climate change, resource depletion, and environmental degradation, this video invites us to rediscover the wisdom inherent in the natural world. Benyus highlights how nature’s time-tested strategies for survival—such as using resources efficiently, adapting to changing conditions, and fostering cooperation—can inspire new ways of thinking and living that align with the planet’s ecological systems.

The video encourages us to look beyond human-centric solutions and consider the vast repository of knowledge that nature offers. By observing and learning from the natural world, we can develop innovative approaches to design, technology, and sustainable living that not only solve human problems but also enhance the health of our planet. “The Forgotten Wisdom of Nature” is a powerful reminder that nature is not just a backdrop for human activity but a source of deep, actionable wisdom that we can apply to create a more harmonious and sustainable future.

Through this exploration, viewers are prompted to reconnect with the natural world, to appreciate its genius, and to embrace the idea that by aligning our actions with nature’s wisdom, we can create a future where both humanity and the planet can thrive.

If I could reveal anything that is hidden from us, it would be to reveal something that we have forgotten, that we used to know as well as we knew our own names, and that is that we live in a competent universe, that we are part of a brilliant planet, and that we are surrounded by genius.

Imagine designing spring. Imagine the timing, the coordination, all without top down laws or policies, this happens every year. There is lots of showing off, there is lots of love in the air. There are lots of grand openings. And the organisms I promise you have all of their priorities in order.

I have this neighbor and he came up to me. And there was this wasp’s nest that I had let grow in my yard and he asked me how I had made the house for those wasps because he had never seen one this big. And I told him the wasps actually made that. 

But it occurred to me, how had he already believed the myth that if something was that well done, that we must have done it? How did he not know that we are not the first ones to build, we are not the first ones to process cellulose, we are not the first ones to make paper, we are not the first ones to try to optimize packing space, or to waterproof, or to try to heat and cool a structure? We’re not the first ones to build houses for our young. 

People are beginning to remember that other organisms – the rest of the natural world, are doing things very similar to what we need to do, but in fact are doing them in a way that have allowed them to live gracefully on this planet for billions of years.

Janine is a biologist, author, innovation consultant, and self proclaimed “nature nerd.” She may not have coined the term biomimicry, but she certainly popularized it in her 1997 book Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature.

In Biomimicry, she names an emerging discipline that emulates nature’s designs and processes (e.g., solar cells that mimic leaves) to create a healthier, more sustainable planet. Since the book’s release, Janine has evolved the practice of biomimicry, speaking around the world about what we can learn from the genius that surrounds us.

“A magnificent video full of hidden truth.”

“Thank you for reminding us of the miracle of life.”

“We’ve forgotten that everything is amazing and that true intelligence is not what we think but what we are.”

“Wonderful! Sometimes I get the feeling that we are the only species with an ego which separates us from the rest of existence. Our mind are overly stimulated since a very early age, we store tons of useless information in our brain which has trillions of neurons but we only use a small percentage of them. In this way we loose our capacity to feel! Civilization is an insult to Mother Nature to which we belong! We need to rewild ourselves and liberate ourselves from the cage we’ve built which allows us to live comfortably numb. We are supposed to feel not overthink things. We have a lot of gifts within us that can only surface when we are fully awaken and if it takes a global pandemic to get it, so be it! We are a collective consciousness, it’s time to wake up! ”

“I am lucky to have had a cottage in the mountains for 22 years, and every Spring I am amazed by the life that one doesn’t see in the city. Everything is fighting to live. From blades of grass to mature oaks, from insects I never knew existed to bumble bees busily doing their thing, flowers blooming, trilliums emerging from under dead leaves, the stream rolling with new life, bats flittering about, flocks of geese coming back North for the summer, the pond teeming with tadpoles and newts and minnows, countless plants budding with new growth, the sounds of crickets and toads and birds, the snow melting and the land getting greener every day…it is a wonderful life cycle that happens every year and it’s perpetually fascinating. This video puts things in perspective. Thank you.”

“We are surrounded by genius. Imagine designing spring…” Those two sentences in the video capture, for me, an experience of meaning and depth I can’t put into words, but which is expressed throughout this video. Without doubt, one of the best videos I’ve ever seen!”

“Love this – very beautiful, full of truth.”

 

Science:

Music

  • “Mountain Views” – Porter Productions

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