Some Thoughts on Poop

Fail. Seedy bird poop landed on a leaf instead of the ground.

This made me ponder on the idea of birds expanding forests. They just do it. They don't even mean to, it's just part of what happens when they go on being alive.

How different are human beings? Do we really have to try so hard to get back in line with nature, or do some things just make sense if we go beyond social norms?

Some points on human poop and our possible contribution to the greater scheme of things:

• Recently I read that rats sometimes eat their own poop when they are lacking in certain digestive microorganisms, because their poop has lots of them.
  
• The first orchards grew out of latrines. Human beings pooped in certain areas and fruit trees grew there.

So, if our poop goes in the ground, we may not only be putting mass and nutrients in, but also microorganisms that may be beneficial. We hear about pathogens in humanure, never about good bacteria getting donated back. Is humanuring hazardous only if its producers are unhealthy? Does it become, then become a responsibility for us to maintain good health in order to prevent unhealthy soil? Some people say their personal health is no one's business. Does this trump that line of thinking?

Human beings expanding forests or green areas by pooping is an awesome idea. It's like planting with compost, only, it's just what we do after every meal. Furthermore, what will automatically be spread are species that are useful to us as food sources.

Although there are pretty sophisticated composting toilet designs, I recall how we'd do it camping back when I was a kid: finding a hidden spot, digging, pooping, covering. Perhaps some fruit trees have grown out of those already.