Adaptation to changes - until unnoticed.

Whenever something changes in the environment or our body,

the living organisms that are “within reach” of that change are affected by it.

They can be evolutionary like:

🍖🍱the change in human diet, with less foods of a “harsh” consistency and the introduction of processed foods,

which resulted in people not having to use their teeth to rip off practically raw meat of bones or eating stone-hard bread.

🦷So people nowadays often don’t have all four wisdom teeth anymore.

Some people like a cousin of mine don’t even get all their adult teeth.

She still has two baby teeth that never fell out because there were no permanent teeth beneath them.

Some everyday things like:

🙇🏼‍♀️slumping over a desk for weeks with poor posture,

which the body responds to by shortening/lengthening certain muscles to adapt to the "new position".

Or something related to nature:

🌵like for e.g. the lack of rain, water, trees for a long time in an area

with the result of it becoming a desert type landscape with different plants like

cacti that are more resilient and not dependent on ample amounts of water and shade.

It is actually quite a wonderful and scary thing at the same time.

The processes of things changing and adapting let us witness the changes that are going on.

They are a reflection of all sorts of happenings.

Things are always changing.

Change does not have to be bad.

But it can be.

Adapting does not have to be bad.

But it can be.

These processes of course are normally not over-night.

They allow some getting used to.

And with all this in mind here are a few thoughts:

With adapting and changing comes a state where you are no longer a stranger to a previously new situation.

🌄For example altitude sickness:

At first you get to a higher altitude than you are used to.

You might feel a little unwell for a couple of days and then-

you adapt.

You get used to it and you go your merry way.

🧫A very current example would be: Covid-19.

At first people were kind of freaking out because it was new and unknown.

Then you had to wear masks and socially distance.

That was strange – then we got used to it.

Now I’m kind of thinking that it’ll be weird one day going back to breathing down each others necks in close quarters on Black Friday while in a shopping frenzy.

(haha, that’s just a joke, I don’t do Black Friday).

We had lockdowns and shopping, schooling, working, training - from home.

Still do.

And we got used to all of it.

That can be a dangerous thing.

Like adapting to situations that are unhealthy, wrong or harmful.

🌊No one nowadays needs to tell you:

don’t drink from a random river or well.

Because you're used to the fact, that bodies of water, as well as air,

especially in cities, are probably polluted.

It wasn't always like that though.

It is bad, but we are used to it.

Our bodies have also adapted to some extent to these conditions.

A person from 400 years ago who time-traveled to 2021 would react to our environment very differently than us and probably get sick at first.

🔥A current problem is “the thing about the climate”.

Remember that?

Environment suffering, animals dying, people getting ill…

Well, sad to say,

but as a society we have (some more, some less)

gotten used to these facts this as well.

😨 Crazy right?

If you think about it, news like:

🌡2020 – hottest year yet recorded,

🗑mountains of garbage taking over the Philippines,

🧪Scandal – high cancer rates in small town due to chemical spill in nearby factory

🐟This sea creature is almost extinct

🥤Estimate: more plastic than fish in oceans by 2050

are often not even regarded as mentionable anymore.

I am going to go out on a whim here by saying many people read news like that on Instagram, in newspapers, magazines, other socials,…

skim those news and treat them just as that –news.

News that passes and is something to read but not to act on.

The newspaper read at breakfast, covering fish and chips as little as 24 hours later.

I am not saying of course that this is the general occurrence.

I am just saying that it is important to check,

once in a while, if we are still noticing things that we hear or experience over and over again and how the way they affect us changes.

This is a reminder that although

“sustainable this sustainable that, try to avoid plastic, recycle, refuse fast-fashion...”

are heard over and over again and might even be boring now to some people,

these things still are environmental, human's and animal's sufferings which are

the HEADLINES of our time and should be regarded as such.

They are always worth acknowledging and it is so IMPORTANT not to loose sensitivity for these topics!

Ok, blog over.

What are your thoughts?

DM me on @thrive_bynature or send me a message over my website💚.

I always try to find something to lighten the mood at the end of the seriousness...

maybe a GIF this time😊 :

I hope you enjoyed this read!

See ya next blog👋🏼

Xx Stella