At no time before has the discussion about the climate catastrophe in the world and the resulting changes on nature and our environment been as heated as it is today. Fear and anxiety about the future are widespread and probably justified. A book with the subtitle «A declaration of love for our home planet» is published, which vividly explains the interrelationships of life on our planet.

After looking at the Earth as a whole, the author Albrecht Schad explains what life actually is. Large connections become visible and descriptions from the animal world give a clear picture of how living beings also shape their environment according to their life. To a certain extent, life first creates the environment it needs in order to exist well on its own.

Out of balance

Schad explores this law in the following chapters and explains the early embryonic development of humans as well as the early development of life on earth. This is followed by explanations of the organismic properties of life, which make various organic systems from nature comprehensible to the reader by means of many examples. The different zones in their extremes become very clear through the descriptions of the life processes of the earth using the example of the course of the year. «Thus the earth is not only a living being, it appears like the primordial organism that made all other life possible, rhythmicised it and brought it forth.» Schad places this sentence under the section on the life processes of the earth.

After these wonderful remarks on life, the reference is now made to the current problems that are becoming apparent today and especially through and after the Corona crisis. The ecological balances that have developed over thousands of years are being destroyed by humans. Clearing of forests, factory farming as well as technology and infrastructure are interfering with the life of the earth, so that the life processes of the earth are brought out of balance. Man has lost his connection to the world, to the life of the earth, also to his fellow man. It is made clear that Western modernity has bought autonomy and freedom through the exploitation of nature and through the exploitation of people from non-Western states. The question is posed as to what kind of world we want to live in, and this question must be answered together.

Feeling nature again

The last chapters of the book then also deal with the question of how we can better understand ourselves as humans, how we can only exist in harmony with nature, how we need it and how we must ultimately live in partnership with the earth. The book ends with questions about the future, giving the reader detailed information about understanding the earth, life on earth and the interrelationships according to the title. The subtitle can be experienced more and more through all the illustrations and the many small examples from the world of the elements, the animal and plant world, and the amazement, the joy about the special features of our home planet come to the fore again. The book stimulates and helps to learn anew to cooperate with life. Our Earth needs it!

Anyone who wants to know, love and understand their home planet even better once again should joyfully devote themselves to the contents! It is worth it!

Dorothee Prange

Albrecht Schad's book was published in 2023 by Verlag Freies Geistesleben, so far only in German.