Just think about it for a moment......
Can you imagine a world without trees, I can't. Last year Dan sent me 'A Tree in Your Pocket' by Jacqueline Memory Patterson. It has travelled in my pocket on many occassions.
I would like to share with you the 'conclusion' ..................
In ancient times Britain was known as a place of initiation and learning, where the qualities of the natural world not only sustained the people, but gave them a foundation upon which the structure of daily life was formed according to the season. By acknowledging themselves as part of Nature they found inspiration, fulfilment and a sense of security, for they were attuned to the
earth and its rhythms.
Today such a relationship is almost forgotten, for communication between people seems hard enough, let alone communing with Nature. We are all too busy in a world which has substituted
roads for woodland and supermarkets for gardens.
The memories of trees are ancient. They show what was and what can be, giving us ecologically sound advice. The wild places where they grow and prosper, however, are now severely at risk, open to desecration in the so-called name of progress, their unique properties ignored as man and machine determine to control and alter the precious balance of the land.
Yet we need trees to survive, for by holding the memories of what we were and the seed of what we will be, they form our identity as individuals and a race. Hence the conclusion to this book is dedicated to saving what remains of our trees and countryside , for as the land is covered in tarmac and concrete its essence dies, and so, little by little, do we.
As Wally Hope, the Stonehenge visionary says 'The greatest evolution is by example.' It is by our waking up to understand that the earth comes first, for it is our home and provider of life. It is by accepting that we are but one species of a vast array of life-forms and that we do not rule. It is by acknowleding that we are utterly dependent upon the other forms that dwell beside us and the communication that we open up with them. Closest to us are the animals, then come the trees. They await communication and are willing to share their magic, for it is the key to our identity and the future of the earth.
I would love to hear your opinion ............can we strike a balance between man and nature??
Must progress always come first?? Are you connected to the outside world and do you fully appreciate what it has to offer??
I would imagine that anyone that reads your blog is connected to the outside world Cheryl. How could we not be? Progress must not come first or we will ruin the earth the very being that nutures us. Trees are the stalwart soldiers that will be the last to go. If anyone looks around they should be frightened by all of this "progress".
ReplyDeleteProgress doesn't have to mean concrete and buildings. Even though we are seeing the devastation of our trees from wildfires, this area of the country is considered "green" in that every effort is made to preserve trees during construction periods. Arbor Day is a big celebration here, with native trees given away to plant to everyone who cares to. Hubby and I have planted over 20 trees on our little plot of land. Not only do I feel an affinity to trees and their life essence, but to all the life they nurture. I can't imagine a life without trees.
ReplyDeleteHi Cheryl...What used to be a large corn fields not far from my home it now having 3 homes build on half of it ...I was so sad to see it happen...I know the owners of the property have been struggling to keep the farm and had good reason to sell, but i have seen Turkeys Deer Crow's Sea Gulls and etc...feeding from those fields so now what??
ReplyDeleteTree's filter the air and many toxic fumes..so important to the environment...I can't imagine not having any trees on my propery !!
This makes me think of the poem by Joyce Kilmer ?
I think that I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree, a tree whose hungry mouth is pressed against the earths....ooop gone blank : ]
but I am sure you know the poem..
♥ Grace
Hi Cheryl,
ReplyDeleteThanks you for posting these questions that are so important. I feel our connection to the trees in the deepest part of my heart. Thinking of how so many people see them as inanimate objects rather than sentient beings sickens me. I often feel I wish I could turn back the clock but my husband, who is more interested in technology than I am, has shown me that there are ways of progressing that are in harmony with the earth.
Here is one of my favourite tree poems, i thought you would like it. My Dad, a (responsible) forester, read it at our wedding.
Trees by Ruth Fainlight
Trees, our mute companions,
looming through the winter mist
from the side of the road,
lit for a moment in passing
by the car’s headlamps:
ash and oak, chestnut and yew;
witnesses, huge mild beings
who suffer the consequence
of sharing our planet and cannot
move away from any evil
we subject them to,
whose silent absolution hides
the scars of our sins, who always
forgive- yet still assume
the attributes of judges, not victims.
It is very frightening to see what we are doing to Mother Earth. In some U.S. states, companies are allowed to remove entire mountain tops to access the coal. The naked land is enough to make you cry. Here in the NC mountains, people have removed the trees from their land in order to have a good "view." How tragic.
ReplyDeleteSo eloquently said, Cheryl. As one who grew up on a farm that my great-grandparents settled, I have a strong connection to the land. When we moved to this house, we were asked so many times to sell this farm by developers. My husband absolutely refuses to do that, and I'm glad. I hate to see the urban sprawl that has occurred in our area and so many others. Houses and businesses in the center of towns are abandoned, while big new businesses and treeless suburbs are built on what was once prime farmland. I'm glad, though, that there are people and groups who have had the foresight to preserve woodlands and other places of natural beauty; otherwise, so many of our older trees would have been lost. I don't call raping the land progress.
ReplyDeleteI remember as a child reading some book about magical trees called the three sisters. We had three large trees in our front yard that my grandfather had planted, and I always called them the "Three Sisters" after that; I thought of them as magical, too.
It's sad that business often sees growth as the only form of progress. I've been reading about food production over the past couple of days, and some of it was very uncomfortable reading. I hope that things will change, and I suppose education and challenging indoctrinated opinions is a way of doing this.
ReplyDeleteDan
-x-
Dear Cheryl,
ReplyDeleteI find most people to be human-centric, the world revolves around the human....The Human as the top predator.(I think bacteria will show itself to be the top predator!)..Those that do understand the relationship between human and nature are aware of the importance of trees, birds and insects. Our bio-mass, our
flora and fauna are absolutely necessary for life, as we know it, on planet Earth to continue.
I have hope...I think people are becoming more aware...and as they are I think "progress" will be establishing more habitat for the flora and fauna instead of taking it away.....green roofs and front yard meadows.....native gardens....Mother Nature is speaking. Climate change is happening. People are waking up.
I feel as if greed has been a driving force for too long.
It is the dawn of a new age...we are on the cusp....
We are no longer a lone voice. We are not the only ones loving the trees and bugs....over and over we say, "Isn't she lovely.....isn't he amazing?"
We speak with our pocketbooks too. As we buy organic and sustainable we are supporting the new market place.
I have hope.....It is here, in your virtual gardens, that your voice joins with the thousands who are "taking time to smell the flowers." Thank you.....
Namaste,
Sherry, who dances with butterflies and hugs trees.
I must agree with Sherry. She said it all! I love trees and (as you know) have named some of them in my garden. I honour them as you do your ancient apple and medlar (and all the rest too).
ReplyDeleteYes, progress must be made, but not at the cost of destroying our Earth, the very place we and all other life forms inhabit!
I had forgotten about rooftop gardens until Sherry mentioned it in her comment. They are being introduced here in Montreal. And I think it's such a good idea. People are more conscious of staying "green". But, we still have a long way to go.
Hugs