How Reverence for a Flower Can Save a Planet

Abstract

It remains a major problem that only certain things seem to matter enough to be worth saving. Many are not even on the list of endangered species, much like humans missing from the organ transplant waiting lists. If humans do not see their commercial value (profitable species), humans do not seem to appreciate them much at all (nuisance species). Psychologically, the human species tends to forget how much it loves what matters, and accidentally lets them perish (living things). Meanwhile, it falls in love with things that don't matter and can't die (writing, ideas, and cities). But if this species could only learn to have a deep and abiding reverence for a little thing (like a flower), perhaps it could learn to have as much or more reverence for its human neighbors. This chapter will go into intimate detail on how this may be practically applied. This practical application of reverence for life that stems from work with children and animals is shown to be effective in reducing intergroup prejudice. Reverence for all life can be a core and crucial learning concept for early childhood education.