Interconnectedness
We move around in our world automatically analyzing, clustering, and differentiating ourselves and all that surrounds us. The appreciation of diversity provides richness to our life, like the different cells in our bodies. Yet this has to be complemented by an integration, understanding the interconnectedness of all that is, like the organs in our body contributing to the functioning of the whole. When we consider both diversity and interconnectedness, our decisions and actions are more inclusive and contribute to the sustainability of the whole.
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Teaching Goal: Students identify the complementing aspects of differentiation and interconnectedness, developing inclusive decisions and actions that contribute to the sustainability of the whole.
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Meta Goal: Develop the cognitive habit of thinking in terms of diversity and interconnectedness
Source: Rimanoczy, I. (2020) The Sustainability Mindset Principles: A guide to developing a mindset for a better world. Routledge
Educational Videos
Ted Talk: Interconnectedness of Humans and the Natural World
Humans’ current mindset views people as superior rather than a part of the world, which has led us to distance ourselves from other species and deplete the earth’s resources. In this TED Talk, Cain Landry challenges this mindset by discussing deep ecology. Deep ecology involves understanding our connectedness as humans to other species and the natural world.