Every day on my commute I listen. Yesterday, on my walk home from work, I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts: TED Radio Hour. The conversation was between the host, Guy Raz and the British writer, George Monibot.  

I have exactly fourteen minutes from the time I step off my bus, and the time I get to my front door. Most days, I don’t remember what song or podcast I listen to, but something about this particular conversation resonated.

George Monibot was recalling a fascinating scientific observation made when conservationists reintroduced wolves into Yellowstone National Park. The official term George used to describe this process was, “rewilding”.

To make a long story short, the results were amazing. Not only did the wolves thrive in Yellowstone, but they began to restore an unspoken balance to the entire ecosystem. At first it was just the deer that were impacted, but then the trees, the birds, the insects, and even the rivers. All of these were affected by the rewilding of the wolves in a positive way, as if the wolves were a perfectly fitting cog to a previously broken machine.

I’m no biologist, but there’s something true and worth noting about this idea. Earth isn’t just a place where millions of people, plants, and animals live and fight for resources. Earth is an organism, and we’re all part of this oddly connected puzzle.

So What?

I don’t have an agenda, and I’m not advocating you go hug trees, even though trees are great. But I dare you to think harder about how things are actually connected in your life.

How do your friends influence your family? How does your work impact your health? How is your time related to your lifestyle choices?

Think about all these connections. I’d argue that too often, when we try to micromanage one compartment of our lives, we fail to see that the entire ecosystem works together.  

And with that, I’ll just leave you some time to think. If you’d like to pick up a copy of George’s book on rewilding you can find the link here. Do something today that makes someone laugh or smile and have a great Thursday!