[HWPL Peace Education Textbook1-3] Cooperation and Coexistence | How do all natural entities achieve harmony in their lives?
[HWPL Peace Education Textbook Chapter 1] The Original State of All Creation
[1-3] Cooperation and
Coexistence | How do all natural entities achieve harmony in their lives?
[Learning
Objectives]
2. Explore answers to global peace within the forms of nature.
◆ Both humans and nature need to cooperate and harmonize to thrive
Harmony
is based on cooperation
Watching a rowing race, we see various
athletes with different strengths and abilities rowing together towards the
finish line. No matter how skilled each rower is individually, if their rowing
directions and efforts are not harmonized, the boat will veer off course.
According to the theory of "selfish
genes" by author Richard Dawkins, genes are inherently selfish entities
that only seek their own survival. However, because a single gene cannot
survive alone, genes that are capable of cooperation, or altruistic genes, are
more likely to be selected over others. Thus, cooperation becomes a strategy
for one's own survival. Therefore, cooperation is necessary to achieve harmony.
Achieving harmony through cooperation is also a path to one's own well-being.
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| Image from Getty Images |
Cooperation
and symbiosis in nature
1)
Trees and Fungi
Fungi are an independent kingdom separate
from animals and plants. Yeasts, molds, and mushrooms belong to fungi. Fungi
lack chlorophyll and cannot photosynthesize like higher plants to produce their
own nutrients, so they either parasitize or decompose other organisms or
organic matter.
Trees are the greatest companions of fungi.
Fungi attach to the roots of trees and spread extensively underground. Trees
provide fungi with sugars and carbohydrates through their roots, while fungi
supply trees with necessary nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and minerals.
Fungi also filter out harmful heavy metals and bravely defend trees against
attacks from bacteria or harmful fungi. Fungi also play a role in creating
underground networks. Even in a cup of soil, there can be kilometers of fungal
threads, connecting different species of trees, allowing them to exchange
nutrients and information, forming a living network like that of a single
organism. This underground network is sometimes referred to as the "Wood
Wide Web."
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| Image from Pixabay |
2)
Cooperation among Honeybees
Honeybees live in highly organized
societies similar to ants. A honeybee society consists of a queen bee, worker
bees, and drones. Each hive has one queen, and except for about a hundred
drones, the rest are all worker bees.
Worker bees forage for nectar or pollen.
When they find nectar or pollen, they return to the hive and perform a dance
known as the waggle dance, which is a form of communication to inform other
bees about the direction and distance to the food source they found. They
perform a circular dance for nearby food sources and a figure-eight dance for
distant ones. The distance to the nectar is indicated by the speed of the
dance, while the direction is communicated by the angle of the dance relative
to the sun.
What's even more astonishing is that this
waggle dance serves as a universal language. If American honeybees are brought
to Korea and perform the dance, Korean honeybees understand it and accurately
fly to the location of the nectar. Thus, honeybees cooperate through their
unique language.
All reproduction is managed by the queen
bee. The queen bee mates with drones and lays eggs, while worker bees
diligently care for the eggs laid by the queen. Worker bees do not reproduce
their own offspring but instead raise the offspring of the queen bee to
maintain the hive. The lifespan of a worker bee is approximately 4-5 weeks,
during which they work tirelessly for the queen bee and the hive. When
intruders enter the hive, they sting to protect the queen and her eggs. Since
their stinger is connected to their internal organs, a worker bee usually dies
after stinging.
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| Image from Pixabay |
Efforts for symbiosis between
humans and nature
As science and technology advance and
industrialization progresses, humanity sometimes has viewed nature as something
to conquer. With industrial development, there has been a rapid increase in the
extraction of petroleum and various mineral resources.
According to the international
environmental organization Greenpeace, 72% of Indonesia's primary forests and
15% of the Amazon rainforest have been devastated by logging, and every two
seconds, an area of forest the size of a soccer field disappears due to
indiscriminate deforestation. The area of the Arctic ice cap is also
continuously decreasing due to global warming. Consequently, various species
are facing extinction due to environmental destruction.
Nowadays, it's essential to recognize that rather than viewing nature as something to conquer, we are a part of nature. We must strive to cooperate with and coexist harmoniously with nature. To this end, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) designates May 22nd as "International Day for Biological Diversity" every year to raise awareness and undertake various campaigns to prevent environmental destruction and increase biodiversity. We can start by conserving resources, reducing the use of disposable items, and showing interest in environmental protection, gradually practicing coexistence with nature.
◆ Reflection:
▲ Find various examples of symbiotic
relationships and discuss the values we can learn through symbiosis.
▲ Mutual cooperation means benefiting each
other, not just oneself. Identify tasks where members of our families and
schools can cooperate, and engage in conversations to promote mutual
cooperation.
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| Image from i.pinimg.com |
◆ Chapter 1 The Original State of All Creation - Conclusion
Adolf Hitler, who sparked the Second World War, claimed based on Charles Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest that superior races should dominate and rule over inferior races. He also argued that since there are food chains and frequent fights and killings in the natural world, war does not violate the order of nature. Unfortunately, many people were deceived by such claims and participated in the war. As a result, the Second World War occurred, causing over 70 million casualties.
However, Hitler's arguments were merely a misunderstanding of Darwin's theory of survival of the fittest. Darwin's theory suggests that organisms striving to adapt to various environments have a higher chance of survival, but Hitler misunderstood this principle of survival of the fittest as the concept of the strong dominating and ruling over the weak, known as the "survival of the fittest."
Nature, on the contrary, maintains diversity. Genetic diversity increases the chances of emergence of individuals adapted to changes in the environment. Various species of organisms form harmonious ecosystems, and food chains are maintained robustly within them. Hidden within this harmonious ecosystem are methods of cooperation and coexistence.
Of course, there are fights and killings in nature as well. However, these are usually limited to seeking food or competing for mates to ensure survival. Instances where members of the same species, like humans, engage in wars for purposes other than survival are rare. Moreover, the wars happening on Earth today are not merely fights for survival. Considering the casualties of war, it is much better not to engage in war for the sake of survival.
Who or what causes these wars that claim numerous lives? Are there truly winners or losers in war? We must view this from a human perspective. And we must seek the answer to a peaceful world within the forms of nature and strive towards the path of peace.
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