Are we ready to play nicely with nature?: Richard Dunne's episode

By Sandy Glanfield

I've been thinking about how young children learn to play together. There's a fascinating stage called parallel play, when they're perfectly happy sitting alongside one another, digging in the same sandpit or building with the same blocks, but not really interacting. It's an important stage of development, but there's still quite a journey ahead before they learn to cooperate, negotiate, share and appreciate what someone else might bring to the game.

I wonder if that's a little like our relationship with nature.

We're getting much better at recognising the benefits of spending time outdoors. Forest schools and outdoor classrooms are helping children discover the joy of muddy hands and the endless possibilities of a good stick. In workplaces, walking conversations are creating space for deeper connections, difficult discussions and unexpected ideas. There's something about being in nature that changes how we think, feel and relate to one another.

But perhaps we're still largely engaged in parallel play with nature. We're enjoying being alongside it, benefiting from its presence, but how often do we stop to consider what it might actually be teaching us?

This was the question at the heart of our recent Reboot Forum: What can the living system of a river teach us? It's a question that connects beautifully with the work of Richard Dunne, founder of The Harmony Project and this week's guest on the Let's Reboot the Future podcast. Richard talks about learning about nature, learning in nature and, crucially, learning from nature. That final step feels particularly important.

The principles of Harmony that underpin Richard's work offer a wonderful starting point. Nature teaches us about diversity, interdependence, cycles and adaptation. A healthy river thrives through the relationships between countless different forms of life. A woodland reminds us that growth, decay and renewal are all part of the same process. Nothing exists entirely on its own, and nothing grows forever. There's perhaps something worth reflecting on in a world so often focused on competition, independence and endless growth. Maybe we could all benefit from a little more composting of old ideas.

Of course, learning from nature isn't new. Indigenous cultures have understood the importance of reciprocity with the natural world for generations, while biomimicry is increasingly helping us find solutions inspired by nature's extraordinary ingenuity. But perhaps the most important lessons aren't technological. They're relational.

Which brings me back to those children in the sandpit. Moving beyond parallel play means recognising that the other participant has needs, something to contribute and a place in the relationship. What might happen if we approached nature in the same way? Not simply asking what we can take from it, or how being in it makes us feel, but what we can learn from it and contribute in return?

Perhaps this is where the Golden Rule offers us a useful compass. What if we extended the idea of treating others as we would wish to be treated to the living world around us? What are we putting into the world that we would hope to receive back?

We've begun to notice nature. We're rediscovering the joy of being in it. Perhaps now it's time to learn how to play together.

And, as any parent or teacher will tell you, learning to share is quite an adventure.