plants

    

The study of plants and other lifeforms on the planet is shedding light on concepts that were already known in our ancient world. Everything on our planet is alive. Just because it is living in a different form than we are, and has different biological processes than we do, does not mean that these lifeforms do not possess consciousness or that they cannot think, feel, and react.

If you told somebody that plants can feel pain, they might think you are nuts, but the truth is – an enormous amount of research has been conducted by plant scientists, and much of it clearly shows how plants have some remarkable abilities to react to and sense the world around them. Some plant scientists insist that yes, plants are intelligent, they learn, remember, and again, react. So, it’s not far off to suggest that they might even feel pain. There are also studies suggesting that plants can learn from experience.

“They have ways of taking all the sensory data they gather in their everyday lives… integrate it and then behave in an appropriate way in response. And they do this without brains, which, in a way, is what’s incredible about it, because we automatically assume you need a brain to process information.” – Michael Pollan author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and The Botany of Desire (source)

Plants respond to anesthetics, you can put a plant out with a human anesthetic. What’s even more remarkable is the fact that plants can even produce compounds that are anesthetic to us!

All of this is fascinating, but again, many scientists are still reluctant to go as far as saying that yes, plants feel pain. On the other hand, some scientists do feel that way.

There is no doubt that they do posses intelligence, but then again, I guess it depends on your definition of intelligence.

Personally, I feel that all life on Earth is conscious, just because we do not communicate in the same manner, does not mean we should assume right away that there is nothing there. I believe that all life is perceiving, thinking, reacting and feeling in some sort of way. There have also been some interesting hypnotic regression cases, where people claim to have had past lives as a plant, or a tree, expressing that there is consciousness, and there are feelings, but that is a completely separate subject.

It’s also interesting to note that there was a study published in 1968, in the International Journal of Parapsychology by a CIA veteran that claimed to show evidence that plants respond to human emotions and thoughts. This suggested that plants were actually telepathic. This experiment also claimed to have definitive proof that plants feel pain.(source)

Whether or not plants feel pain is an interesting topic, and it’s experiments that continue to raise these questions. There is still much we don’t understand, but the fact remains, nature was put here for a reason. It’s vital to our survival and for all life to thrive on this planet. It’s important that we begin to develop a relationship with it, rather than destroy it. We are all interconnected, and if the human race does not pursue a path that is more harmonious with all life on the planet, we won’t be around for much longer.

Sources

New research on plant intelligence may forever change how you think about plants

The Intelligent Plant