Topic: Interconnectedness

Interconnectedness (origin: collective)

Interconnectedness is a worldview that emphasizes the deep interdependence of everything on Earth. From animals to water to rocks to bacteria, our fates are inextricably intertwined. Interconnectedness understands the world as a set of systems in delicate balance with one another. It is the opposite of the belief that humans are separate from or above nature (see ecocentrism, anthropocentrism).

The concept of interconnectedness can be found in Indigenous and scientific discourses. It is an ancient concept and is fundamental to the Four R’s of Indigenous cultural values, first articulated by LaDonna Harris and Jacqueline Wasilewski through their inter-tribal work with Americans for Indian Opportunity in the 1980s and 1990s. These common values are based on the kinship of all Earthlings and our obligations to one another.

In Western science, interconnection can be seen within the feedback loops of ecosystems such as nutrient cycles, food webs, and microbiomes. The interdisciplinary field of systems sciences explores the complexity of systems in various settings, including nature, society, and the human body.

Although sometimes referred to by different terms (interdependence, dependence on nature), the concept of interconnectedness is seen by many climate justice and sustainability activists as the cornerstone of an ecological civilization. It is emphasized in the principles of the just transition collective, Climate Justice Alliance. It was promoted by Thich Nhat Hang, Vietnamese Buddhist leader and peace activist, in his book, Love Letter to the Earth. And it is an essential mindset shift Kate Raworth advocates for in Doughnut Economics.

©2024 ClimateLit (Nicki May)

Related Terms: Doughnut Economics, ecological civilizationfractal flourishinghuman supremacy (antonym), ecocentrism, ecopsychology, industrial ecology, web of lifefood websecosystem services

Subtopics: Web of Life

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by Tera Kelley

“The forest gave what it had, so the giant tree might live”

by Julia Richardson

“Swish, swirl, one hundred seeds fly. / One little seed flies with the wind, far, far away.”

by Barry Timms

“Love grows everywhere… / from country farm to city square. / From desert village, hot and dry, / to mountain home where eagles fly.”

by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw

“Have you ever climbed a tree? And stayed there ALL night? Once there was a girl who LIVED in a tree—for over TWO years!”

by Imogen Foxell

“They say I couldn’t change the world; it wasn’t worth the fight. / But in my head, a small voice said … maybe you might.”

by John Musker, Ron Clements

“I know who you are / Who you truly are”

by Darren Lebeuf

“My forest is so many things…”

by Patricia MacLachlan

“She guards all the creatures in all the oceans—the black manta rays sleek like shadows, the shining parrot fish, the tiny krill who swim with millions of other krill to look big. And the whales who are big.”

by Todd Mitchell

“Rather than imagining things, she thought of it as paying attention to things that no one else noticed and seeing what could be – the way a weed could be a flower once you noticed its beauty. Everything had hidden possibilities, and if she listened closely enough, she sometimes heard whispers of what those possibilities might be.”

by Anne Wynter

“Before anyone finds out how high they can climb, Nell picks up a seed.”

by Molly Bang, Penny Chisholm

“Dive into the sea! Now flip over slowly, and look up. The water is shimmering with light – my light. I am your sun, your golden star. All ocean life depends on me; so does all life on land.”

by Eileen Spinelli

“One Earth, so beautiful / Remember—only one”

by Deborah Hopkinson

“Earth is our one and only planet to care for, love, and preserve”

by Kate Messner

“Over the pond, the wind gives us a push and stirs the light-dappled leaves on shore. There on a branch, a new goldfinch teeters, finally ready to fly. Under the pond, tadpoles are changing, learning to hop. They’re losing tails, growing legs, growing up.”

by Mai K. Nguyen

“We gotta be careful not to hurt the things around us, because nothing’s really gone forever… everything leaves a little mark”