At KIND MIND, we obviously believe in the power of words.

Without stating the obvious too much, let’s just say that words are incredibly powerful because they have the ability to shape our thoughts, emotions, perceptions, and actions, both on an individual and collective level. The language we use to describe ourselves, others, and the world around us can have a profound impact on how we understand and interact with reality.

Therefore, when we chose Kinship, as the concept behind our first letter “K“, this was a deliberate and thoughtful decision: Kinship, as an idea and as a practice, constitutes the foundations for our entire system of thoughts and view of the world. More on this topic shortly, in a dedicated page.

For the time being, as part of this blog, we want to share some great content found out there, flowing from the same spring we are. And today, we want to invite you to pay attention to this new series of book published by the Center for Humans & Nature, a fine institution operating from Illinois USA, with a core mission to “explore and promote human responsibilities in relation to nature — the whole community of life.”

They are publishing a piece of work titled “Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations“, made of five different books. Here is the pitch:

“We live in an astounding world of relations. We share these ties that bind with our fellow humans—and we share these relations with nonhuman beings as well. From the bacterium swimming in your belly to the trees exhaling the breath you breathe, this community of life is our kin—and, for many cultures around the world, being human is based upon this extended sense of kinship.

Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations is a lively series that explores our deep interconnections with the living world. These five Kinship volumes—Planet, Place, Partners, Persons, Practice—offer essays, interviews, poetry, and stories of solidarity, highlighting the interdependence that exists between humans and nonhuman beings. More than 70 contributors—including Robin Wall Kimmerer, Richard Powers, David Abram, J. Drew Lanham, and Sharon Blackie—invite readers into cosmologies, narratives, and everyday interactions that embrace a more-than-human world as worthy of our response and responsibility. These diverse voices render a wide range of possibilities for becoming better kin.

From the recognition of nonhumans as persons to the care of our kinfolk through language and action, Kinship: Belonging in a World of Relations is a guide and companion into the ways we can deepen our care and respect for the family of plants, rivers, mountains, animals, and others who live with us in this exuberant, life-generating, planetary tangle of relations.”

https://humansandnature.org/kinship/Find out more and order your copies here: https://humansandnature.org/kinship/

Also, do not miss out on their Podcast, in partnership with “To The Best Of Our Knowledge“: