What if we told you that you can thrive in life simply by adapting your instincts and actions to match how plants behave?
Lessons from Plants is a fascinating new book from Beronda L. Montgomery that gives an in-depth and fascinating view into the habits and behaviours of plants and asks a poignant question; ‘What lessons can we learn from how plants live?’
Beronda L. Montgomery is a Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and Microbiology & Molecular Genetics and has been named one of Cell’s 100 Inspiring Black Scientists in America. However, it’s her insightful observations of her life and how her experiences and reflections on how they correlate to plant life that is so insightful.
After stepping into the world of the author, readers quickly realise that rather than being the boring and predictable, albeit life-giving life form that they are, plants are highly evolved and we could do far worse than to mimic some of their simple behaviours.
Case in point. Plants are masters of adaptation. They “know” what or who they are, and they use this knowledge to make a way in the world. What’s more, plants experience a kind of sensation that does not require eyes or ears. They distinguish kin, friend, and foe, and they are able to respond to ecological competition despite lacking the capacity of fight-or-flight.
Plants are even capable of transformative behaviours that allow them to maximize their chances of survival in a dynamic and sometimes unfriendly environment.
On the basis of this alone, plants are winning over most humans already! Through Lessons from Plants, Montgomery makes the case for how we might improve human society by simply better appreciating not just what plants give us but also how they achieve their own purposes.
Told in a jargon-free, relatable style, Montgomery offers the view about how much better off we might be as a race if we became more aware of our environments and adapted to our own worlds by calling on perception and awareness rather than reason.
Finally, it has happened to me!@PlantLessons #LessonsFromPlants#LessonsFromPlantsTheBook pic.twitter.com/FIo4Lw1UQ6
— Beronda Montgomery, #LessonsFromPlants April 2021 (@BerondaM) March 16, 2021
With simple illustrations of plants and inspirational quotes, Montgomery’s ground-breaking book will certainly make you think.
The handy-sized hard-back book cans easily be stashed in your bag ready to read whenever you have a few minutes to spare and will soon have you reframing any existential thoughts with the simple question: What would a plant do?
