#367: The Fallen Tree
We are all connected after all
At Finchale Priory, a fallen tree caught my eye. Fallen and beset with vines twisting up its side. Did the crawling, curling patterns cause its demise? Or did tree and vine live symbiotically until finally falling together?
I think back to Katie’s recent blog post about blossom filling the pavement cracks, and how those petals will eventually decompose and feed other plants. I wonder if this tree is now home to other creatures, living in its empty chambers, supporting life after death.
Looking at nature, it’s easy to see how connected our planet is and I am reminded of how this applies to humanity too. Never have we felt more connected, and yet more isolated, than in a time when the decisions of one country can have very immediate impacts on the health of all on the Earth.
It is a stark reminder of the power of joint responsibility rather than the individuality that modern life drags out of us. We centre our individual lives on social media, a platform meant for contact, but my Instagram account is under my name alone. That creates comparison rather than connection. I view many people’s lives without being fully part of them. No matter how much we value community, we find ourselves chasing individual achievements.
Perhaps we are suspicious that, like this tree, greater connectedness might actually be a drain on our resources. Isn’t it easier to look after “number one"? Would the tree have lasted longer if it hadn’t been home to this vine?
And yet, there is some beauty in this fallen tree, in the lines that crisscross over it, in the green leaves sprouting up within it. Whether we want it or not, our lives are connected and we may as well make them intentionally, beautifully so.
