The Tree Speaks of Endurance Amidst the Vicissitudes of Life and Death

I asked the leaf, whether it was frightened because it was autumn and the other leaves
were falling. The leaf told me, No. It said, during the spring and the summer, I was
completely alive. I worked hard to help nourish the tree by collecting carbon and helping
in the energy synthesis process, and now much of me is in the tree. Moreover, I am not
limited to this form only. I will continue to nourish the tree, as I leave the tree branch and float to the ground. I will waive the tree and tell, “I will see you again”.

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This is not a story, which I am narrating. This is a fact. Yes, trees can feel like we
human beings. Carlvon Linne, the grandfather of modern botany, declared that
plants/trees differ from animals and humans only in their lack of movement. Whereas
Charles Darwin had proved that every tendril has its power of independent movement.
Unlike human beings, Trees acquire and display this power only when it is of some
advantage to them.

“Nature does nothing without purpose”, said Aristotle. Trees have been around on this
planet Earth for about 400 million years, whereas humans have only existed on the
earth, for about 100 million years. In a way, trees have a much older association with
earth and a longer understanding of the events on it, in comparison to human beings.
Trees share much more in common with humans than what we can imagine. Trees are
as social as human beings, when they abide together in the forest with countless other
formations of the natural world, growing, dying, and eventually disintegrating, leading to
further regrowth.

Trees and human beings, both experience the passing of time. Trees too have an
experience of life and time, like human beings, although it is much slower in comparison
to us. One of the oldest trees on earth is a spruce in Sweden, which is more than 9500
years old. It almost 115 times longer than the average human lifetime. Trees have a luxury of time and can take things at a leisurely pace, the luxury of which is not available
to human beings.

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Humans, animals, and trees share some digestive similarities or microbiological
similarities. All three sustain microcolonies that in turn sustain them. In comparison to
the human and animal internal guts, trees use their external guts(roots). There is
research displaying the interconnectedness, social network, and family structure of
trees. It shows how PARENT TREES suckle their children and mother trees have their
favorites also. These family chats enable trees to share nutrients with those who are
sick or struggling. They also warn each of them of forthcoming dangers and also advise
to adjust to weather conditions by altering their water consumption strategies to
conserve energy.

Scientists are discovering how neurotransmitter molecules in trees facilitate cell to cell
communication and also trying to measure the exchange of carbon from a dying tree to
its neighbors. They are also doing a study on, how plant intelligence requires an
integrated approach to plant signaling, adaptive behavior, and its potential impacts for
the future. They can store collective memory also.

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Everybody knows that Buddha realized enlightenment under a tree. Liberation/
awakening the natural world is as inseparable as wood and tree. The tree speaks of
endurance amidst the vicissitudes of life and death, which we humans have forgotten
out of our race for materialistic excellence. Trees don’t function out of ‘SELF INTEREST’ like human beings. In Nature, they connect organically with the bigger evolutionary picture of the weather and environment formation. They are the watch guard and work tirelessly in maintaining the whole ecosystem with their complete effort to make this planet inhabitable.