2020—the year Sir David Attenborough sent me a letter saying he looks forward to reading my book

A small act of kindness goes a long way.

While a tiny virus is grounding us for the second time, severely testing our social and economic resilience, I received a heartwarming letter in the mailbox this morning. It was a handwritten note by Sir David Attenborough, a long time hero of mine, saying that he is looking forward to reading my book!

As a child, I so much looked forward to every new episode where Mr Attenborough so vividly disclosed the wonders of nature. It invoked awe and curiosity and warmed my heart every time. As an adult, I enjoy the documentaries even more as they address one of the root causes of our vicious cycle of downturn: our disconnect from nature. Somewhere in the past, we came to believe that humans exist separate from nature. So we started treating nature as a commodity, as a resource to manage and exploit.

But an ever expanding amount of science is proving us wrong: we are not separate from nature. We are nature and our inner and outer nature are connected. If we are degrading and degenerating the nature that is out there, we are degrading and degenerating ourselves. Once you understand how interdependent and embedded our health is with the health of the ecosystems that we are part of, you will see that we can only thrive if we create the conditions for nature to thrive. Once you understand how life works, you will see that nature's blueprint for innovation is regeneration. This is a biological process of renewal that leads to a higher order of health, wealth, vitality and viability.

And that brings be back to the letter. How are you leaving it better than you found it?

Thank you Sir Attenborough, for your kindness! We will pay it forward.