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Written and Performed by Adrienne Lenker

Nature invites interaction; you are likely to recall fond instances and memories of taking walks in parks, petting dogs or cats, and much more. However, interactions with animals and other non-human entities tends to facilitate human projection, a phenomenon known as anthropomorphism, where non-human entities are ascribed human characteristics, or seen as passive and lacking agency.

There are many reasons that one ought to guard themselves from the temptations of anthropomorphising, but there are equally many ways in which human interpretations of animals can lead to productive communication between humans and non-human entities, allowing us to honour them with respect through ethical approaches. There is much that we can learn from animals in aspects such as inspiring our own creative practices, or encouraging us to slow down. We can use natural ecosystems as frameworks or metaphors for understanding ourselves, or animals can teach us lessons about happiness and strength. Different aspects of nature can also incite emotional reactions out of us, whether that is associating rivers with a sense of escape, or with a sense of familiarity and comfort.

Much is to be learnt, additionally, from indigenous communities on ways in which we can honour other entities through our language, and from poets and artists on ways in which we can communicate with natural landscapes. Musicians and Singers, in particular, have long revered rivers, with them playing an important role in African American Spirituals and Poetry. Animals, Plants and Rivers aren't just figures in human stories, but they are a part of a dense, rich world that can be approached, observed and respected.

Reflective questions:

• When does empathy become projection?
• How can language help us care without overshadowing non-human life?
• What kind of attention respects the independence of non-human entities?

Your next path:
History, Indigenous Knowledge and The Future