Diverse plants and trees live in unison, a roadmap for humanity
Unlike people, these various plants, the Prickly pear cactus, fuchsia bougainvillea, and yes – look closely – an orange tree have all managed to cohabit in small quarters.
Ironically, this profoundly diverse grouping of vegetation all has thorns.
Yet, the Prickly pear cactus will fruit in the summer, while the Bougainvillea has already exploded with crepe-like flowers on its otherwise stalky vine. The orange tree is in full scent-the-air mode with its white blossoms, luring bees into pollinating.
As I walked up to this odd threesome on my way home from the park, I thought of our world, full of chaos and violence. Of climate change and so many threatened species. I wondered how do we become more like these plants.
They were planted together and somehow have managed to live in concert over their decades of growth.
We on the other hand are doing everything in our power as humans to muck it all up. We have lost our sense of tolerance and acceptance of others. We have gone haywire regarding religious beliefs and socioeconomic status. We have become one messy society, more like a swamp and quicksand.
In contrast, I considered this flora combination. Here was a life lesson of how opposites of all kinds can attract and thrive. Here was the perfect example of the road back to humanity.
A beautifully entangled love affair between a hardy Prickly pear cactus, a vibrant bougainvillea, and a luscious orange tree.
If we could copy nature, we might get it right.
