Sometimes the world saddens me. I am bothered by its deep inequality, atleast on the surface, its wars, its suffering and exploitation, and by my own participation in it, because to merely act and live in this world, from things as simple as brewing a cup of tea in the morning, to things as complicated as making a living, is to participate in all its dark and light. It has made me question everything, including the benevolent nature of the universe and the existence of God. But then, there are trees. As good, as good can be. As benevolent and beneficial and kind as kind can be, as nurturing to self and others, as love is. Its very existence creates harmony in both its taking and its giving, because look, how easy it is to feel good and light in the giving of self, but life necessitates taking too, and if our taking and our receiving from the environment can be a nurturing and balancing act in itself, not because it is balanced by giving, but in itself, then what wondrous creatures we can be. Self love, self preservation and self care, in a tree, are acts of goodness, not conflict, and do not come at the cost of anything else, but only add to the vitality of life. If such good can exist in this world's design, then this world must be good.
Such an interesting way of saying this, that trees are wiser than us only as long as we do not listen to them. There is nothing that I have deeply listened to in nature, that has not ultimately told me to listen to inner self, because I am equally wise, not less, in my own way. I am deeply guilty of this, of finding many people and many beings 'wiser' than myself, almost as if the same design that designed a tree to be so amazing, would make a mistake with me. Almost as if my own existence is less important than a tree. I think it's the same with rivers, and mountains, and true teachers. They are wiser than us until we listen to them. But if we listen to them, they will show us that being ourselves fully is our way to express that wisdom we see in them.
On Sep 16, 2016 Shagun wrote :
Sometimes the world saddens me. I am bothered by its deep inequality, atleast on the surface, its wars, its suffering and exploitation, and by my own participation in it, because to merely act and live in this world, from things as simple as brewing a cup of tea in the morning, to things as complicated as making a living, is to participate in all its dark and light. It has made me question everything, including the benevolent nature of the universe and the existence of God. But then, there are trees. As good, as good can be. As benevolent and beneficial and kind as kind can be, as nurturing to self and others, as love is. Its very existence creates harmony in both its taking and its giving, because look, how easy it is to feel good and light in the giving of self, but life necessitates taking too, and if our taking and our receiving from the environment can be a nurturing and balancing act in itself, not because it is balanced by giving, but in itself, then what wondrous creatures we can be. Self love, self preservation and self care, in a tree, are acts of goodness, not conflict, and do not come at the cost of anything else, but only add to the vitality of life. If such good can exist in this world's design, then this world must be good.
Such an interesting way of saying this, that trees are wiser than us only as long as we do not listen to them. There is nothing that I have deeply listened to in nature, that has not ultimately told me to listen to inner self, because I am equally wise, not less, in my own way. I am deeply guilty of this, of finding many people and many beings 'wiser' than myself, almost as if the same design that designed a tree to be so amazing, would make a mistake with me. Almost as if my own existence is less important than a tree. I think it's the same with rivers, and mountains, and true teachers. They are wiser than us until we listen to them. But if we listen to them, they will show us that being ourselves fully is our way to express that wisdom we see in them.