Where does your home come from? Most of us live in houses which are barriers against nature. From our windows we may be able to watch the birds, but we can’t feel the flutter of their wings in the air, we can’t feel the chill of winter, can’t smell the rain. It doesn’t have to be this way. Our homes could be inspired by the homes of other animals, allowing us to dwell in the natural world again.
Look at the animals around you. Where do they live? Do they own the land? What are their shelters made of? Can you even see their shelters, or do they blend in so well with their surroundings that you can’t find them? Are the animals’ homes larger than they require? Does the animal build its home in a place that threatens the animal’s very existence? How does your home compare with these?
An animal’s home is utilitarian, not excessive. Animals’ homes are made of natural materials: mud, sticks, sod, bamboo, straw. Animals’ homes will degrade, once abandoned, or they will be taken over and maintained by another animal. Animals live in homes that breathe, that don’t poison them. When you see an animal shelter, you see it as part of nature, not an impenetrable barrier between that animal and the natural world.
Our shelters should be constantly changing, growing, degrading, according to our needs. Shelter is transient, malleable, something that we can abandon from season to season, if our needs dictate.