I think that the idea that the planet is alive is even tenable
scientifically since many of the components of the planet were formed and
are maintained by life forces. Also because the inter- relations with feed
back loops of millions of different species of organism are so complex that
it is simplistic to state the whole is not alive when we are not always even
sure how to define "life" in the first place. (for instance is a virus
alive?)
What makes it difficult for us is the difference in process speed of a human
life and of the planet as a whole. Compared to the life span of the planet
us humans are completely insignificant even with all the damage we have done
in such a very short time. "Proof" of Gaia being alive would be if the
planet spits humans out and goes on without us sometime in the future.
john