A report from the online course ‘Kinship — an exploration into being together’

“An ecosystem is the embodiment of reciprocity. It consists of a multitude of beings related in endless ways. Ecological life is always lived in relationships with others.” Andreas Weber

Earlier this year, I signed up for an online course as part of the research for my novel ‘The Fault in Reality’. Here are a few notes about what I learned during this illuminating experience.

‘Kinship — an exploration into being together’ was curated and hosted by Hannah Close assisted by Katrien Franken. It ran over seven weeks, with two or three presentations each week, and was supported by a huge list of reading/viewing materials. There was a great deal to work with! I would certainly recommend it as an intensive and mind-opening experience.

I came to the course with a certain amount of knowledge of the natural world, drawn from my own life experience and previous research for my books, but I knew that there was still a great deal I was missing and I hoped it would open my mind to new kinds of understanding. It certainly did. Here are just a few of the many takeaways I gleaned:

We are all one big body

Biologist, philosopher, and nature writer Andreas Weber explained the simple notion that when we breathe, we…