The Beauty of the Tree

In my last post, I discussed some ideas for bringing a sense of rootedness into your life. Again, there is a human need to feel rooted in life, allowing us to feel at home in the world.

The embodiment of rootedness is the tree that stands with a complex network of attachments buried into the land, providing life support from the earth to sustain growth.

Trees are a wonder of nature and can inspire us with their beauty. Notice how roots sustain the tree and how those roots allow nourishment to flow from the earth into the strong trunk that supports limbs reaching the sky.

Those branches and limbs reaching into the sky mimic the lung's bronchial tree, which carries oxygen to the bloodstream. The tree branches have leaves that "breathe" by turning carbon dioxide waste into the oxygen that sustains our lives.

Similarly, the bronchial tree ends in tiny air sacs that allow oxygen exchange from our lungs to our bloodstream. This oxygen is then carried to the rest of the body to sustain our lives.

The tree is not only an example of life; it is also an example of charity. Like the tree that carries nutrients from the roots into the trunk and then into the branches, we can grow strong and offer ourselves to the world through the nourishment and strength we gain from being rooted.

We gain a sense of belonging in the world through our roots which then spur us to reach out to others and give them a part of ourselves. We sustain each other through charity which can only happen if we reach outside ourselves like the branches of a tree into the vast sky.

Our interconnectedness with nature and each other is a facet of life that we frequently forget in a modern world obsessed with politics and factions. Yet, it is an essential part of what it means to be human. We are connected to the earth and the past through our roots and joined to each other through charity.

It is crucial to our flourishing that we reach out to others by forming relationships and sustaining one another.

The living image of the tree can inspire us to find our roots in the world and then reach out into the world to form relationships that enjoin us with humanity.

Our first steps to finding joy are establishing our roots in the world and then reaching out to others in charity. We are interconnected with humanity and nature and can find joy by returning to them. In fact, in times of anxiety, we can find comfort in the example of the tree.

Find a tree. Observe how is it rooted into the earth that sustains it. Notice the strength of the trunk and the flourish of the branches that reach into the sky.

Watch how the tree changes its foliage throughout the seasons of the year, but still remains rooted to the land. Find comfort in the thought that not all in the world changes rapidly. Through wind and storms the tree stands.

The tree still stands rooted to the ground even when the seasons change. When you feel angst about the seemingly everchanging world, remember the tree. Remember your roots. Return to nature. Reach out to others in charity to find nourishment.

All truth, goodness, and beauty are divine in origin. We can only find true joy through the same sacred path. Charity is an essential component of the divine path we must traverse to find true joy in life. Returning to nature can help us find comfort in times of trial and reaching out to others can nourish our souls.

Beautiful images:

Fields of buttercups bring memories of childhood fun. Did you don them as jewelry as a child?

Even in the darkness, the tree stands rooted to the earth.

Beautiful words:

"A man is a bundle of relations, a knot of roots, whose flower and fruitage is the world."-  Ralph W. Emerson,  1803 - 1882    

“Behold I do not give lectures or a little charity, when I give I give myself.”
― Walt Whitman

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Find your roots, then reach out to others in charity. It is the path to joy.

Have a lovely day!

Dr. R