Nature might be silent, but it is not stupid. Plants communicate. Animals plan. Ecosystems are sensitive to change. Intelligence is not the language we speak, but it is the way the planet is made by making things each day.
An example is the interaction between trees and fungal networks, which share nutrients and resources. When one tree falls, others come to its aid. Threat to pests is transmitted through such links. Forests are communities, not groups of beings.
The ability of animals to solve problems is a surprise to scientists. Birds use tools. Octopus escapes enclosed spaces. Wolves organise their hunting activities strategically and in a disciplined manner. The behaviours disclose learning, memory, and cooperation.
Even plants respond intelligently to their surroundings. Others close their leaves at touching. Others emit chemicals to scare away predators or to lure beneficial insects. Sunflowers turn with the sun to optimise the energy it receives. These are not accidental actions, but responses.
Balance in ecosystems is also exhibited under feedback. The resources decrease when a particular species becomes too large. Predators increase. Populations stabilise. This biological control makes systems remain alive in the long run.
Admittedly, human beings tend to quantify intelligence through technology or language. Efficiency and harmony are used in nature. Nothing grows endlessly. Everything serves a purpose. Waste becomes fuel. Silence becomes a signal.
When we acknowledge this silent intelligence, we gain respect. Nature is not something to dominate. And something to know. Nature provides us with valuable advice, drawing on millions of years of experience, when we listen attentively.
That wisdom is prudent. Nature does not dominate. It cooperates. And in doing so, it thrives.
