Being a tree isn’t exactly second nature to us. As humans, we are more into pruning… or picking… or chopping, when it comes to plants in general.
In fact, telling nature what to do has always been one of our species’ favorite hobbies. And that makes sense: anyone itching from a mosquito bite will agree nature is often out to get you. It might freeze you, burn you, eat you, infest you, or just generally get in the way of your day. In return, of course, we stamp on it, cut it down, and spray it with poison every chance we get. Or plant it and eat it.
Our cat & mouse game with nature goes on and on, although we seem to be gaining the upper hand in making the whole world a hot parking lot.
“Man vs. nature” is even one of our classic themes of literature, like Moby Dick. Or in for the more geeky, modern sensibilities, Jurassic Park. Everyone’s favorite dinosaur flick not only teaches us to be afraid of jiggling plastic cups of water, but also that our attempts at control are futile. You may trap that velociraptor in a big tall cage, but eventually he’s going to find a way to get more than that boring mooing cow.
That said, ask yourself, what are your favorite moments of that movie? The people escaping is all well and good, but admit it: you loved when the T-Rex ate the guy off the toilet. Or when the velociraptors figured out to open the door. Or the last glorious shot of the dinos, where they have taken over the museum and the T-Rex roars triumphantly.
Maybe those moments are so amazing because we actually identify with the dinosaurs. For all our attempts to control nature, we usually forget that we ARE nature. The whole “man vs. nature” thing is some ways redundant. We are made of bits recycled from other bits back to the dawn of time. We have a diverse microbiome inside that both is us and isn’t us. We exist only because we drink, eat, breathe, and interact with our world.
Thinking about it that way, putting nature in neat little boxes is pretty absurd. Who are we to say that we even know what the boxes should be? Are we the box?! What in the world is all this, anyway?
Keeping humans humble is a key aspect of some of the best geeky media, especially lately. Read “Annihilation” by Jeff Vandermeer if you want a beautiful illustration of the contrast between wild, mind-blowing nature and our tiny, tepid attempts to grapple with it. Or just check out how a talking tree is a powerful, beloved member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Humility (and Groot) are foremost on your mind when you do yoga, too, especially “tree pose.” It’s basically balancing on one foot with the opposite foot on your shin or your thigh, hands in prayer pose or held high. Anybody can do it for a little while, but staying like that inevitably involves tipping, weaving, and the eventual plummet.
It’s hard to have hubris when you are wobbling like a Weeble. And thank goodness for that. It would do us a lot of good to understand that ther forms of life have their own dignity, their own worth, and a complicated meaning that we understand only partially.
Trees might look like slower-than-snails overgrown sticks, but try posing like one and you’ll find that a lot can go on while simply standing there. You notice the world even as you also notice you are precarious, you are vulnerable. Someone could knock you down and throw off your pose. Someone might look at you and think you are simply being ridiculous. But that person wouldn’t know a tiny fraction of who and what you are.
If you can “get” or “grok” a tree just a little bit by acting like one, then maybe you can start acting like a member of Earth’s extended family–and not just the bossy big sister. After all, as we all learn, the most emotional and beautiful three words uttered in recent geeky history are what connect us all. We are Groot, indeed.
Thoughts...?!