Living beings are not machines

• Hans Boës

“Everything struggles. Everything is in competition”, one could summarize the observation of nature in a one-sided interpretation of Darwin’s teaching. Such a view justifies the ongoing “struggle for existence” in our man-made economy.

But another, perhaps even more important ability of life forms is often overlooked: They can resonate and empathize with other beings. This has been observable for a long time in dealing with humans or animals. We can feel how they are doing, and their moods are also transferred to us.