The Portuguese…
Some time ago I found by accident a complete course in Human Behavioural Biology on YouTube. The lecturer is an eminent scientist at Stanford University, Robert Sapolsky. Halfway through his course (which is poorly filmed and lacking sound quality but, hey, I'm thankful nonetheless), he established that human behaviour depends on every little thing from genetic makeup to what we ate a couple of hours ago. So instead of upholding reductionist causes to explain certain behaviours, he's from the school of "It's due to everything, babe!"
Before we proceed, a confession: I adore Sapolsky’s brain, knowledge, humour, and I even find him fluffy and adorable! I wish he was a teddy bear I grew up with... I’d be so much smarter by now! I mean, I’d be finally smart.
Of this time of mine back into a more rural Portugal, during hikes and biking trips I started paying more attention to how nature was like. And it is very gnarly.
Gnarly trees, gnarly vegetation, and therefore gnarly people.
Some have their edges sharp, or thorny, and will cut you at the slightest pressure. Others are more huggable. And a few are a nice place to lean on while sitting under their shade. Yet the majority is compact, thick, designed to bear fruit, to resist a prolonged absence of water, with the least amount of energy being spent on other activities than the bare essential to survive. Inside their defensive barrier, it looks peaceful. But if we examine the roots, they’re twisted, deep, and resilient.
