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Abstract

 <h2>Flying Dragons Do Exist</h2>
            <div><h3>If you want to add an extra touch of authenticity to your Daenerys cosplay, you might want to get your hands on a…</h3></div>
            <div><p>thescienceexplorer.com</p></div>
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            <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*QJp14sXZ4VhUBVVv)"></div>
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    </div><h2 id="58e7">Komodo dragon</h2><p id="0178">And then I meet the third dragon: a Komodo dragon on Gili Air. Wow! What a sight. The beast is feeding on some waste left carelessly by humans. The Komodo is a cleaner...</p><p id="aea0">(Correction: I thought it was a komodo dragon. While in fact, it was a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monitor_lizard">monitor lizard</a>. Luckily, she’s a lot less dangerous…)</p><figure id="02fd"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*0Jw5sZCwvV1M2vmj4azzuA.jpeg"><figcaption>Credit picture: Desiree Driesenaar. This picture of a wild monitor lizard is made on Gili Air, Indonesia.</figcaption></figure><p id="de76">So dragons enter my mind. Why do you think? I don’t know for sure. But I can imagine that Robin Hobb’s role for the dragons has something to do with it. Let’s explore this answer. What is the role of the dragons?</p><h2 id="4e0b">Re-invent our humanness</h2><p id="0d46">We need to re-invent our humanness on this planet. So far, we have made a mess by destroying the natural world for personal gain. We have forgotten how to be human and have become consumers and spectators. We believe we live in a world of scarcity, where we have to compete to obtain our share. And worst of all, we are killing our planet in the process.</p><p id="573b">Robin Hobb presents us with a biodiversity solution to this mess. In the natural world, species are prevented from becoming pests by attracting natural enemies to the environment. If you have a pest of snails, you can introduce walking ducks. A pest of lice will attract wasps or ladybugs. And bats are really good insect balancers as well. The only thing you often have to do is give them places to stay close. Homes.</p><p id="c19d"><b><i>So how do we deal with a pest of people?</i></b></p><p id="fac2">Dragons definitely will scare some sense into us, humans. They might make us tread with more care. As soon as we realize we have a natural enemy, we might respect all of nature again and find our humble place as part of the ecosystems.</p><p id="9d6f">How does it work? Biodiversity as a solution to restoring ecosystems? In this beautiful film, you can watch how the reintroduction of wolves can change rivers.</p>
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            <iframe class="" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FoSBL7Gk_9QU%3Ffeature%3Doembed&amp;display_name=YouTube&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DoSBL7Gk_9QU&amp;image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FoSBL7Gk_9QU%2Fhqdefault.jpg&amp;key=a19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=youtube" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" width="854">
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    </figure></iframe></div></div></figure><p id="1791">This is biodiversity at its most beautiful. Ad biodiversity is not about some cuddly species, like the panda bear or other, going extinct. No. Biodiversity is vital for the functioning of our planet. For the survival of our planet in the long run.</p><p id="e534"><b><i>So, do we need dragons?</i></b></p><p id="d1bb">I personally think there is another way. People are waking up. Young people have a sense of something happening but don’t know yet how to act. Regeneration is rising.</p><div id="4c9a" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://readmedium.com/how-do-young-people-become-future-leaders-f5df54723e3">
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          <div>
            <h2>How Do Young People Become Future Leaders?</h2>
            <div><h3>We Need New Leadership. Three Connections Show the Way.</h3></div>
            <div><p>medium.com</p></div>
          </div>
          <div>
            <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*lb1QdFzBRP4H0fNvo5dK8Q.jpeg)"></div>
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    </div><p id="1b01">We are restoring ecosystems. And along with it, we are exploring ways how to live within these abundant ecosystems without doing harm.</p><div id="14bf" class="link-block">
      <a href="https://readmedium.com/why

Options

-ecosystem-restoration-comes-first-in-the-new-business-models-e41a65be294e"> <div> <div> <h2>Why Ecosystem Restoration Comes First in the New Business Models</h2> <div><h3>We need abundant resources, resources, resources…</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*_PhZo4kWUt672pV1Umfpbw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><h2 id="8612">Destructive species</h2><p id="40b6">We’re not there yet. We are a long way away still in the sense that forests are still disappearing rapidly. We are still a destructive species. And money is still rising as the only important value because so many people feel a lack in their lives. But it might change faster than you think. I have <a href="https://www.activehope.info/">active hope</a>…</p><h2 id="bd8c">Regenerative species</h2><p id="4750">If we really start feeling the natural world, start reconnecting with our bodies and with other people in a deep sense, we might be the change we want to see in the world as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi">Mahatma Gandhi</a> asked us to.</p><p id="a964">If we are prepared to take responsibility for our day-to-day choices and simplify our lives. If we become leaders in our own local groups of family and friends. If we support all other leaders who matter and take their own steps. Different steps from our own, but very valid steps…</p><p id="261c">If we embrace diversity in all the people around us and stop harsh judgments. We are all doing our best! Give us a break! Give yourself a break. But do feel. And do act. And do enjoy the beauty of nature. It will help us stay motivated.</p><p id="6edf">As a human regenerative species, we don’t know what we are doing yet. And curiosity helps there.</p><h2 id="54b7">Tell Us</h2><p id="72b3">I’m really curious how you act around biodiversity. Can you embrace it? Will you rewild the soil? Rewild your soul? And honor the dragons?</p><p id="38a7">Tell us…</p><div id="283d" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/wanted-start-ups-with-a-purpose-df8cac04ea87"> <div> <div> <h2>Wanted: Start-ups with a Purpose</h2> <div><h3>The world is changing fast. And I see a trend that warms my heart. The examples are all around us. Read and be…</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*FQfyMMSjVR1HvLHFUmU8Aw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="ad37" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/can-we-change-the-energy-of-money-89f3a024e267"> <div> <div> <h2>Can We Change the Energy of Money?</h2> <div><h3>We need a transition of the economy, but how? And how fast?</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*1ZjMHfyAnQuRuPHDye4QMw.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="3359" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/7-ways-to-connect-to-nature-169d27676901"> <div> <div> <h2>7 Ways to Connect to Nature</h2> <div><h3>WHY? Why would you want to connect to nature? Why is it important? First of all, there is no nature and us. We are part…</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*JA0fB2dJSo1U3WWC1IIagQ.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="74f5">And for the fiction lovers:</p><div id="b7ea" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/into-a-different-dark-a0be0937199d"> <div> <div> <h2>Into a Different Dark</h2> <div><h3>A fiction story about the ocean, wild women, and magical transformation</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*hR1DzQB0n2gRT6VcWu2efQ.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Do We Need Dragons to Blow Some Sense into Us, Humans?

The famous Robin Hobb books inspire the dragon solution. Or can we transition our humanness another way?

Credit illustration: Mountain vector created by Freepik

We live in exciting times. Our world is a chaotic mess of destructive practices. We honor money over the abundance the natural world can give us. Our planet suffers. Social inequality is screamingly becoming apparent to all who have eyes, ears, and a heart. In the meantime, more and more people are waking up. We are like toddlers, awake but not knowing yet what to do but scream ‘I’m right’. Or ‘It’s not fair!’.

Well, my friends, that’s how we humans learn. Nothing wrong with it. Just take the next step, experiment, fall, stand up again, and do it better next time. Just keep uprooting what doesn’t work anymore and invent what might work next.

In this article, I will show you how some fantasy novels and keen observations in nature will be able to inspire you into action for our planet. We do need this home of ours, you know. So please bear with me if you think I get off the beaten track. This story will lead somewhere tangible. Trust me…

Robin Hobb, fantasy novels

Recently I got to thinking about Robin Hobb again, writer of many fantasy trilogies full of ancient wisdom. Extraordinary books! E.g. the Realm of the Elderlings series or the Liveship Traders Trilogy. My admiration as a sister writer goes to both the depths of her characters and the wisdom in her storytelling.

If you are keen on personal development, training your intuition, and finding ways to integrate your spirituality with your love of the natural world, try them. The books have many layers and when I read them again I find new gems to discover time and again. They are a rich source of wisdom without spelling it out. You can find your own meaning in the words…

Meeting the dragons

When writing this article, I’m in the tropics, in Indonesia. And I’m amazed at the natural beauty of ‘Emerald of the Equator’, as my fellow Dutch writer Multatuli called the islands.

Natural food forests grow in abundance. People are climbing coconut trees to harvest. Green bananas are ripening in front of my window.

And please notice the fragrances here! Taste the richness of all this wonderful fruit! And then the link to the dragons appears again. Robin’s fantasy figures with their shiny metallic coats merge with the real-life natural dragons I meet here in nature.

Dragon fruit

The first dragon I meet is the dragon fruit. I love the deep purple color of the fruit before I realize it grows on a cactus. In the nighttime, her big white flowers are abundantly showing their beauty.

It’s an intelligent plant because in the heat of the daytime her flowers are closed and hang listlessly. In the cool nighttime, her luminescent flowers are attracting night insects for fertilization.

The flower of the dragon fruit. Lush, white abundance flowering in the dark night. Picture by author.

Flying dragon

The second dragon I meet is a lizard that catches my attention on the stem of a coconut tree. Enjoying my breakfast, I notice a kind of yellow wing under his chin that’s moving in and out when he’s raising his head. He’s appearing to be just a normal lizard then, uncomplicated coloring with a little yellow beard.

And just when I pick up my binoculars to study him better, he not only raises his head and waves his yellow beard flag. He jumps!

It must have been a distance of around 5 meters from one coconut tree to the next. He blows up the flanks of his body as yellow wings. And he flies! What a sight! I’m mesmerized! Nature never ceases to amaze me…

The creature is called a flying dragon and I read details about his life with great curiosity, having seen him with my own eyes…

Flying Dragons Do Exist

If you want to add an extra touch of authenticity to your Daenerys cosplay, you might want to get your hands on a…

thescienceexplorer.com

Komodo dragon

And then I meet the third dragon: a Komodo dragon on Gili Air. Wow! What a sight. The beast is feeding on some waste left carelessly by humans. The Komodo is a cleaner...

(Correction: I thought it was a komodo dragon. While in fact, it was a monitor lizard. Luckily, she’s a lot less dangerous…)

Credit picture: Desiree Driesenaar. This picture of a wild monitor lizard is made on Gili Air, Indonesia.

So dragons enter my mind. Why do you think? I don’t know for sure. But I can imagine that Robin Hobb’s role for the dragons has something to do with it. Let’s explore this answer. What is the role of the dragons?

Re-invent our humanness

We need to re-invent our humanness on this planet. So far, we have made a mess by destroying the natural world for personal gain. We have forgotten how to be human and have become consumers and spectators. We believe we live in a world of scarcity, where we have to compete to obtain our share. And worst of all, we are killing our planet in the process.

Robin Hobb presents us with a biodiversity solution to this mess. In the natural world, species are prevented from becoming pests by attracting natural enemies to the environment. If you have a pest of snails, you can introduce walking ducks. A pest of lice will attract wasps or ladybugs. And bats are really good insect balancers as well. The only thing you often have to do is give them places to stay close. Homes.

So how do we deal with a pest of people?

Dragons definitely will scare some sense into us, humans. They might make us tread with more care. As soon as we realize we have a natural enemy, we might respect all of nature again and find our humble place as part of the ecosystems.

How does it work? Biodiversity as a solution to restoring ecosystems? In this beautiful film, you can watch how the reintroduction of wolves can change rivers.

This is biodiversity at its most beautiful. Ad biodiversity is not about some cuddly species, like the panda bear or other, going extinct. No. Biodiversity is vital for the functioning of our planet. For the survival of our planet in the long run.

So, do we need dragons?

I personally think there is another way. People are waking up. Young people have a sense of something happening but don’t know yet how to act. Regeneration is rising.

How Do Young People Become Future Leaders?

We Need New Leadership. Three Connections Show the Way.

medium.com

We are restoring ecosystems. And along with it, we are exploring ways how to live within these abundant ecosystems without doing harm.

Why Ecosystem Restoration Comes First in the New Business Models

We need abundant resources, resources, resources…

medium.com

Destructive species

We’re not there yet. We are a long way away still in the sense that forests are still disappearing rapidly. We are still a destructive species. And money is still rising as the only important value because so many people feel a lack in their lives. But it might change faster than you think. I have active hope…

Regenerative species

If we really start feeling the natural world, start reconnecting with our bodies and with other people in a deep sense, we might be the change we want to see in the world as Mahatma Gandhi asked us to.

If we are prepared to take responsibility for our day-to-day choices and simplify our lives. If we become leaders in our own local groups of family and friends. If we support all other leaders who matter and take their own steps. Different steps from our own, but very valid steps…

If we embrace diversity in all the people around us and stop harsh judgments. We are all doing our best! Give us a break! Give yourself a break. But do feel. And do act. And do enjoy the beauty of nature. It will help us stay motivated.

As a human regenerative species, we don’t know what we are doing yet. And curiosity helps there.

Tell Us

I’m really curious how you act around biodiversity. Can you embrace it? Will you rewild the soil? Rewild your soul? And honor the dragons?

Tell us…

Wanted: Start-ups with a Purpose

The world is changing fast. And I see a trend that warms my heart. The examples are all around us. Read and be…

medium.com

Can We Change the Energy of Money?

We need a transition of the economy, but how? And how fast?

medium.com

7 Ways to Connect to Nature

WHY? Why would you want to connect to nature? Why is it important? First of all, there is no nature and us. We are part…

medium.com

And for the fiction lovers:

Into a Different Dark

A fiction story about the ocean, wild women, and magical transformation

medium.com