One morning a week ago, as I was quietly reading a book, I heard the unmistakable whirring of power blades in our neighborhood. I sat up, a little bit alarmed; only to learn that branches of overgrown trees were being cut down along the main road of our subdivision.
Inexplicably, it seemed I could hear the trees screeching with pain.
Perhaps it was just my overactive imagination. I just consoled myself with the thought that those trees would be able to endure it and in time grow new branches.
Then I remembered the trees of Nagasaki City in Japan, which have survived the devastating atomic bomb during the final years of World War II. The scarred trees continue to stand, living memorials of what happened on that day. At the site of one tree, a marker reads: “The great black wounds in her trunk show how she suffered. She is still alive and considered a sacred being.” After the blast, the trees looked as if they would never grow again, but a few months later, new buds began to sprout. They gave Nagasaki’s citizens the strength and the willpower to rise up and work painfully towards recovery.
Now living symbols, the trees show us the power of nature to overcome disaster. More importantly, they tell us that even the most terrible and devastating suffering and injustice can still lead to hope and renewal.
Individuals experiencing the most challenging moments in their lives ought to seek solace by visiting those majestic trees and humbly pay their respects. Undoubtedly, they would find solace and spiritual rejuvenation by being in the presence of these venerable beings, sheltered beneath the comforting embrace of their canopies.
As I am writing this piece, people in Gaza and Ukraine are undergoing the most terrible suffering, catastrophe and injustice inflicted by their fellow humans. I pray that the spirit of the survivor trees of Nagasaki infuse the people with the strength and resilience to bear the unbearable and rebound in the wake of these wars. As long-time poet and spiritual adviser Mark Nepo tells us: “No matter the devastation, there’s a resilience within us to rebuild whatever has been destroyed.”
In a street in Quezon City, there’s an old Sampaloc tree right in the middle of the road, and the tree is believed to be over a century old. Tales recount that during the construction of the road, laborers fell ill whenever they tried to cut down the tree. Perplexed by this phenomenon, the bewildered workers deduced the presence of nature spirits within the tree. Consequently, they unanimously decided that it was best to “leave it as it is,” opting to construct the road around it. The Sampaloc tree has been declared an “official” heritage tree. Every time my wife and I pass by that tree on our way to the Heart Center for her medical check-up, I give it an inconspicuous respectful bow.
Native shamans or spirit mediums believe trees are abodes of nature or elemental spirits described by one Spirit Questor as “non-human entities.” Some foreign cultures even worship trees. It’s called “dendrolatry,” which sounds like idolatry, and it is related to ideas of fertility, immortality and rebirth. The veneration of trees has long been an integral part of pre-historic Celtic and Norse and Indian cultures.
I am not particularly superstitious and I do not worship trees, but I deeply respect living trees. At the least, trees help us become more aware of our connections with something larger than ourselves. This is why I cannot get myself to hack our backyard tree even if it is just for pruning.
Khalil Gibran was a famous gifted poet who was acutely in sync with the vitality of the life within and the life all around him. He regarded trees as magnificent beings. In one poem on trees, Gibran sings about our unity and connection with them: “Trees are poems that the earth writes upon the sky.” In another poem, he enjoins us to be grateful for the presence of trees. “Said a tree to a man/My roots are in the deep red earth, and I shall give you of my fruit/And the man said to the tree/ the red earth gives you power to bestow upon me of your fruit/ and the red earth teaches me to receive from you with thanksgiving.”
As a young adolescent, I used to climb up a caimito tree when I wanted to have a quiet time all by myself. Perched on one big branch, higher than the house roofs of our neighborhood, I had a lovely view of the vast sugar cane fields and the far horizon. That tree and I spent a lot of time together, providing me a nook of seclusion and solace, and occasionally its ripe juicy fruits that were within easy grasp. I wish I could go back and thank it, if it is still there.
When my wife and I visited the famous Sequoia National Park in California sometime in 2019, I was awed by the towering majesty of the trees. Some of the trees are said to be 3,000 years old. If only they could talk what wonderful tales they would tell us.
There has long been a debate over whether plants and trees have feelings, emotions, and consciousness. Whether they are conscious, or possess feelings is a bone of contention among scientists, religious leaders, plant lovers and “spiritistas.”
Published in 1973, “The Secret Life of Plants” is a book that posits the idea that plants respond to the emotions of the humans in their vicinity. However, it is worth noting that subsequent research has largely refuted many of the claims made in the book. But even without the book, a lot of “plantitos” and “plantitas” I have met admit talking to their plants. To them, plants are “green beings.” Mind you, they are intelligent, sober and mature adults. They do it not merely out of superstitious beliefs (although that’s partly) but they refer me to recent scientific findings.
There’s now a new field of study called “plant neurobiology.” Some scientists are convinced that plants and trees possess intricate electrical and chemical signaling processes that enable them to coordinate their responses to the changing environment around them. They say that they discovered neurotransmitters alongside nerve-like cells.
Ecologist Suzanne Simard has an appealing theory about “mother trees”. She thinks that the oldest and largest trees within an ecosystem, like any mammalian mother, actively help younger trees survive. She says that these “mother trees” send nutrients, carbon, water, and alarm signals to younger trees of the same species to spur their growth and protect them by way of networks of underground fungi called “mycorrhiza”.
However, not all scientists are on board with these intriguing new findings about trees. It is all a myth, they say. The researchers advise against being overly credulous in the fervent quest to draw parallels between plants and humans, as the current scientific evidence remains insufficient to support such claims.
While the jury is still out, at least we need to agree about the rights of trees. We must manage our forests sustainably and respectfully, and allow some trees to grow old with dignity, and to die a natural death. After all, they provide us precious food, wood, and medicines. As the lungs of our earth, they help maintain and sustain the equilibrium of carbon dioxide and oxygen that makes life on earth possible.
But even if we don’t know for sure they possess some form of consciousness, I dare to say that trees are an endless source of knowledge. Trees can teach us many valuable lessons about life and humanity.
Trees tell us about the importance of roots for stability. Just as a tree needs deep roots to stay upright, we need a strong emotional and spiritual foundation to weather the storms of life.
But even when they shed their leaves and their bark, trees remain rooted in their core identity. We can learn from trees to embrace change and to let go of the things that no longer serve us.
A tree doesn’t grow overnight. It takes years of patience and perseverance for a sapling to become a towering giant. In the same way, our growth takes time and effort. There is no elevator to success, as they say.
A tree is a simple being, but it is also beautiful. Its branches reach out to the sky, its leaves provide shade, and its fruits nourish us. We can learn from trees to appreciate the simple things in life and to find beauty in the ordinary, in simplicity of purpose in living.
Just as trees are connected to each other through their roots, human connection is important. We can learn from trees to connect with others and to build community. They say shared roots live longer.
When a tree dies, it gives back to the earth. Its leaves fall to the ground and nourish the soil, and its seeds sprout new life. Trees tell us to embrace death not as an end but as a natural part of cycle, and to trust that there is something more after this life.
There’s so much learnings that trees can give us if we care enough and take the time to pay attention and listen. The next time you see a tree, take a moment to appreciate not only its beauty but also its wisdom.
On a recent vacation, Monica Kapur, an Art Therapist and Counselor, looked at a Sal tree at the edge of a reserve forest in her friend’s new home for days. She said the tree whispered in her ear, and here’s a part of what the tree told her:
“This is my message to you and other humans. Trust the laws of life, give unconditionally and stay still. Most important be kind to other spirits of the land, respect and give of yourself to them rather than just taking them for granted. The earth created us all equal so we must share in its blessing. With love, the Sal tree of Dehradun.”
Are we listening?