Star-Crossed Cowboy: The Crossing

Abstract

Borders define boundaries as they demark crossings. In the natural world borders are generally porous, more gradations of contiguous fractals such as crumbling coastlines or cloud flows or weather fluctuations. Bioscientists like Lynn Margulis are exploring Serial Endosymbiosis Theory (SET) that posits the evolutionary interconnectedness and fusional reciprocity of all life-forms crossed and crossing into each other from the beginning. As with microbiologists tracing life to a single protoctist, geologists like Vladimir Vernadsky argue for a global hypersea of continuous living matter, “animated water,” including rocks that give off vital elements hydrogen and oxygen. Just so, aboriginals the world over believe the cross-connected animacy of all things, interdependent and living stones, plants, animals, and humans among them.