We are all individuals: each of us is unique among billions of people. No other person on this planet consists of the exact same combination of thousands of different living organisms—each of us has our own unique combination of microorganisms and bacteria: non-human cells are just as present within us as our human cellular mass.

So none of us is ever alone—or, to put it more simply: no one consists of “pure human”; we are all highly diverse in our composition: we are a living example of BIODIVERSITY!

**Biodiversity means…** The term is most often used in connection with ecological regeneration and is still largely misunderstood in terms of its complexity and implications: it’s not just about the high number of species, but also about their interactions—a fundamental phenomenon of biodiverse systems is interconnectedness, or the networked structure that arises from the relationships between the system’s components. When the relationships between them are diverse, redundancy arises—there are more and varied connections, which strengthens cohesion.

Interconnectedness creates redundancy, which creates resilience

Let’s return to us humans: many are shocked when they hear that they actually consist of millions of living organisms; one’s own body usually seems relatively consistent and like “a single unit.” Perhaps it is also our excessive focus on cleanliness in our upbringing that triggers a fear of impurity, dirt, and chaos. Mr. Clean—and empty, cleared-out landscapes—have become increasingly present in our everyday lives in tandem with industrial agriculture. Most farmers take pride in a field that lies “clean” after the harvest—an empty expanse devoid of visible diversity.

With WGS, it’s completely different: here, we invite the forces of nature—the intelligence of 3.5 million years of research aimed at optimizing the unfolding of life force (known as evolution). No microorganism, no experienced microbe, no earthworm will show up alone… they all bring their friends and their basic supplies with them. It has also been proven that plants’ seeds carry their own microbiome. In the life-sustaining environment of a diverse WGS, this microbiome can flourish and have further positive effects. If the living environment has previously been sanitized by “Mr. Clean” and stripped of all life, this infusion of life’s intelligence cannot take root or spread.

In the case of intensive care settings—that is, in hospitals and doctors’ offices—we prioritize sterility for good reason; however, in the field, in agriculture, and in the production of foods that are as nutrient-rich as possible, the principle of *sterility* has no place: the more diverse life can flourish here, the healthier we can eat and, ultimately, live.