No species, not even our own arrogant one pretending to be good individuals in so-called modern Western scripts, acts alone; assemblages of organic species and of abiotic actors make history, the evolutionary kind and the other kinds too.
In many situations, I feel like humans always want to act like we are in control, but in reality we are just a port of this planet like all the other species and even non-living stuff like rocks and water. It’s kind of humbling, honestly.
Over a couple hundred years from now, maybe the human people of this planet can again be numbered two or three billion or so, while all along the way being part of increasing well being for diverse human beings and other critters as means and not just ends.
I found this pretty interesting to think that over time human population can shrink on purpose, I don't know is thats hopeful or terrifying.
Kin is an assembling sort of word. All critters share a common “flesh,” laterally, semiotically, and genealogically.
So are we supposed to think of animals, microbes, plants, and the earth itself as kin, like extended family?