Principle 6
We give special care to the tiniest living creatures. Even though they are too small to be seen they are the foundation that keeps and sustains all life. Caring for them is caring for the mauri. This is the source of wellness, of sustainability.
We are often reminded that life on Earth began with simple single celled organisms, and in the course of hundreds of millions of years, evolved into the myriad of living beings that populate the planet today. We humans regard ourselves as the summit of that process, the superior of all life forms. We are creation’s “greatest achievement”; we glory in that, and claim special privileges because of it.
What we are not often reminded of is that all life today still depends on those simple organisms for their very existence. Plants and animals alike depend on them to access the nutrients they need to thrive, and to keep at bay the illnesses and disease that threaten health and life. That includes us; we are just as dependent on these invisible living creatures. Without them we would all be dead.
Researchers keep telling us that even those simple life forms are disappearing. In New Zealand our ways of farming and growing crops, with so much dependence on chemicals to increase our production, and on mono cultures to maximise our productivity, are eroding away the invisible life forms that keep our soils alive. Even the organisms that process the waste that our way of living produces are being slowly displaced.
It goes even further, and is even more personal. Our own health depends on the microorganisms that live within our bodies. Each person’s body is populated with billions of living creatures that are much too small to be seen; they work together to keep us well, or makes us unwell if the balance is wrong. Without them we would die, and probably slowly, from malnutrition. It is these little helpers that make available to us the many micro-nutrients we need to function. Our modern lifestyle, the things we eat and drink and even the medications we use affect them, and make it more of a challenge to stay healthy. Keeping them well is the key to us remaining well.
Puriri Moth, Waitaia Lodge 2019 - Photo by G Parker
Modern research is suggesting a different relationship with the billions of microbes that inhabit us. Are we really the summit of creation, the Universe’s greatest marvel, or are we merely the homes the microbes have constructed for themselves? Many of our microbes are anaerobic – they can only survive in an oxygen free environment. That particularly includes the “microbiome” the multitude of microorganisms that make their homes deep inside our stomachs. In actual fact they are the key to our health. Yet equally they can’t survive in the oxygen rich environment that more complex life forms need to survive, including us. That’s why they need to keep us alive.
It is very biblical; the first shall be last and the last first! Our continued existence is more precarious than we think. Our future depends on wellness of life forms so small that they are invisible!
The Covid 19 pandemic shows us what can happen when that balance is upset. We may be able to probe deepest space with tools crafted by our technology; but we can’t predict let alone manage the very simple life forms that began the journey of evolution. In fact we remain at their mercy! Ultimately it may be the microbes that will determine the future of our existence.
- Pa Ropata / Rob McGowan 2020
