Consider The Forest

Acquainting oneself with the environment of trees is invariably a lesson incorporating the harmonious in ones life.

When you consider the way a tree exists - it cannot get out of the way, can it - perhaps to a very slight degree it can but for the most part it is stable. It can produce seeds, often fruit and other in the way of a harmonious contribution. Leaves or needles fall and cushion the ground creating - in time soil to receive the seeds.

I know you know this already but I speak to you today about the heart of the tree. The heart of the tree is not in one place alone just as our heart being is not in one place alone. You could say that it is associated with the tap root which reaches deep into the soil and gives birth to other roots that search out nutrients to support the tree yes but also future generations and in the larger sense - the forest and the life in the forest itself.

Do we do that as human beings? Yes, to a degree but because we have the advantage - or is it a disadvantage - of mobility we are not forced to learn harmony.

The tree must learn harmony because of its stolidness. It remains where it chooses and is invited and of course welcomed to grow. I am speaking here of course of the tree growing through the influences of nature rather than being planted by man.

So, given the example of the tree why might it be that for us as human beings we could be at disadvantage. We must seek harmony as beings of motion.

We have at times in our life cycle moments when we are not in motion. Sleep yes, in our early childhood yes - a little motion there or a motion wrought by others picking us up eh. Sometimes late in life or even during times of injury or illness but other than that we are largely mobile.

How does a mobile being create harmony? You create it of course by the example of other life forms or other people around you.

You see how they live - are they happy? Do they cause others to be happy by their example, by their support, by their interactions? Are our own actions causing harmony and happiness?

This is difficult isn't it because it's easy to interpret those words according to one culture or another which may believe it is causing harmony and happiness within a given realm of existence.

I feel now that the reason there are so many people on Earth and so many different cultures or variations of cultures is that our mobility while it seems to be expanding is also in a sense becoming less so. We are being encouraged to look to the home front. Our families, our friends, our neighborhoods yes. Do we get along? Are we welcomed? Do we welcome others? These simple thoughts and feelings are important in our life.

Consider the forest - I do not feel we are close to such harmony yet but we can consider it as a model.

Goodlife to you all and goodnight.