The word resource was originally derived from the Latin resurgō meaning rise again. Life on Earth is deeply resourceful in the inherent ability of all life to continually rise again, to resource itself. Perhaps the form of life will change or decay, but it will always rise again in some shape or form.
Resourcefulness requires us to engage with our inner resources whilst strengthening our relationship with the life around us, and in this ongoing exchange we realise the inseparable nature of life on Earth. Through the lens of resourcefulness the relationship between human and non-human wellbeing is inseparable and so when we care for earth we cannot help but care for ourselves.
We live in a world confronted by social and environmental challenges. These problems are inextricably linked yet so vast and complex it is difficult to face them together. As these challenges worsen, the need to find solutions that address both human and environmental wellbeing in an interconnected manner grows increasingly vital. Professor Tim Haywood (2006) says “Resourcefulness involves the development and exercise of human capacities, and thus fulfils part of the substance of a good human life; it also eases pressure on finite natural phenomena that are needed as resources in (roughly) inverse proportion to resourcefulness.”
Our Journal of Resourcefulness Vol. 1 (2018) gives an in-depth description of various ways resourcefulness can be seen. A free PDF is available.