Yes, I think so. Somewhere in my many readings in anthropology (it was my degree many, many, many moons ago), I read that the sense of "separateness" from our environments is quite a "WEIRD" (Western, educated, industrialized, rich and Democratic) experience, and not shared by members of many (here goes) "primitive" cultures. If there are people who experience non-humans as active parts of their world, then they may actually *be* parts of different organisms to people who experience themselves as "separate" from everything non-human.

I was also struck by your later note on the idea of "freedom" - and how it is the appeal of the city - the chance to re-invent yourself - in a way that necessitates uprooting yourself from some *place* elsewhere... this one is going to give me a couple of headachy meditation sessions, I guess. Because I value freedom AND I value "plantedness". What can this mean?

I appreciate your reviews. :)