Omni-holobiont
In the language of ecology (the science that studies the interaction of living things) there is a concept of a holobiont: a collection of individual species forming a unique ecological unit. An example is a coral reef made up of thousands of different species.
Vita adapts the concept of holobiont to suggest that all the organisms on Earth (including humans) form not just an ecological unit, but a unique species Imperium Vitae-planeta.
The word ‘all’ translates to ‘omni’ so Vitae-planeta can be considered omni-holobiont because she comprises all living organisms on Earth.
Poetically, Vitae-planeta can be referred to as the Grand Omni-holobiont.
Not God
Vita does not view Vitae-planeta as a God, a Deity, the creator of the universe or anything remotely like a conscious entity with intent.
One of Trillions
Vitae-planeta is an emergent property of the laws of nature playing out on a planet within the habitable zone of its star. There are probably trillions of Vitae-planeta's on planets around the Universe.
Wide & Thin
The closest analogue to Vitae-planeta would be a giant lichen that lives on the surface of a boulder. It has the shape of a thin skin, about 1% of the the diameter of the globe.
Above and Below Vita
Above Vitae-planeta is the frigid depth of space, and below Vitae-planeta is the Earth's mantle (molten rock). Vitae-planeta's wispy outer boundary is about 100 kilometers above the ground, and its lower depth is some kilometers below the seafloor in the Earth's crust.
Very old
Vitae-planeta has endured over 3 billions years because she maintains internal chemical and thermal equilibrium that is conducive to life. Indeed, if the Universe is 13.8 billions years old, that makes Vitae-planeta about one-quarter the age of the Universe.
He. She or It?
Technically, Vitae-planeta would be referred to as an 'it' as it is a gender-less non-human species. However, out of reverence Vitae-paneta is referred to as 'she'.
Pondering
While one can ponder Vitae-planeta, Vitae-planeta cannot ponder us per se. Vitae-planeta is not conscious and she doesn't observe us. We humans can ponder on Vitae-planeta's behalf. Humans are the part of Vitae-planeta that ponders.
Non-judging, but reacting
While Vita doesn't judge us for our actions, she does respond to them - at the global scale. We are, after-all now living in the Anthropocene Epoch in which humans are the main drivers of change on the Earth. Pumping 43 Gigatons tons of CO2 a year into Vitae-planeta, and sending extinct legions of her organisms will not come without consequence. As Vitae-planeta turns on us humans, it won't be because she is angry. It will just be.
Diurnal / Nocturnal
Vitae-planeta is the only organism that is simultaneously in both night and day, and in every phase in between.
Vita Never Sleeps
Vitae-planeta never sleeps. She is always in an equivalent state of consciousness.
Suitable for the Human Race
Over the past 3.8 billion years, Vitae-planeta has existed in many forms not all of which were suited to human habitation. At times in the past, it has been both too hot and too cold on Earth for humans. Vitae-planeta's climate has been ideal for the growth of human civilization over the past 12,000 years, but our actions are shifting Vitae-planeta into a new phase that will be hostile to humans.
Mutually Bound
The future of the humans is in Vita's hands as we are dependent on a healthy planet for our survival. However, in Vitae-planeta does have some need for us.
In the first instance, humans are needed to clean up the mess left behind by the humans, including:
- The trillion tons of CO2 we have put in the atmosphere will continue to overheat planet driving a cascade of climate tipping points that will kill off most life on Earth and foster massive storms.
- Climate Change enhanced super-storms will excavate the world’s land-fills and flush hundreds of millions of tons of plastics and pollutants into the ocean. So we need to get busy removing all the trash and processing it into a safe form.
- Without human intervention, the world’s 450 nuclear reactors and the spent waste in their containment ponds will succumb to age and natural disaster, set afire and contaminate the planet with deadly radiation.
- Eventually, the 1,000 kg of plutonium and uranium that resides in abandoned orbiting satellites will de-orbit and burn-up in the atmosphere. Somehow we need to figure out how to prevent this happening.
- Many threatened species will die-off without the proactive conservation efforts.
If we do not fix this mess, Vitae-planeta will suffer greatly, shedding massive amounts of biodiversity and potentially losing her homeostasis.
Secondly, over much longer time-frames, Vitae-planeta's future is in our hands because she will eventually succumb the the Red Giant as the Sun expands.
An option therefore exists for humans to depart to another planet and take parts of Vitae-planeta with us. This is not something that needs to be planned for and certainly not attempted for at a minimum several million years.
As a species, we humans do not yet have the emotional intelligence to undertake this. We are still adults requiring child supervision.
