I want to start by talking about the earth’s harmony. The earth is robust, and all its different species and organisms work together in collective coherence. Did you know trees talk to each other and even support each other, making way for healthier trees and communities for animals? We as humans can learn from nature, as humanity will benefit greatly if we follow suit.
Trees Are Social and Supportive
In his book, The Hidden Life of Trees, the author Peter Wohlleben explains how social and supportive trees are. Trees in the forest care for each other. They even nourish stumps of felled trees as well as trees that are not in their species. The trees do this through an integrated network of soil fungi that connect the trees; this is how they share food and communicate. Trees need each other for survival as it has been proven that isolated trees have far shorter lives. The author explains that when trees unite to create a fully functioning forest, the whole is greater than an individual tree.
A single tree is not a forest, but it becomes part of a forest with an ecosystem when they grow and band together. In this protected environment, trees can live to very old age. If every tree only took care of itself, many would not survive. The trees represent life, and most trees appear to be standing alone, but they don’t; they stand together with the other trees to make something bigger than itself, something more profound. It makes a community that supports other life. A tree is not just a contributor to the forest; it is a home, a refuge for birds, bugs, squirrels, and all kinds of life.
The tree does this by being supportive; the tree does not discriminate with who it shares its root system and soil fungi. They even manage the growth of their branches so they don’t block sunlight from each other. Trees working together in harmony create a beautiful forest for each other and all of the woods’ inhabitants; it is a beautiful thing.
Is Your Community Social and Supportive?
Now think about you and the community you live in. Just like the trees, your community is an extension of you. You have a basic underlying need for connection similar to the trees in the forest and are more connected with your community than you may realize. According to an article in Scientific American by Gareth Cook, called Why We Are Wired to Connect, Scientist Matthew Lieberman uncovers the neuroscience of human connections—and the broad implications for how we live our lives. How are you a part of your community? Do you love where you live? Do you know your neighbors? Do you have friends or activities you can do in your area? Are you part of a group or organization or a greater whole? How do you contribute?
Different Beliefs
Different cultures and people have different beliefs about social connection and interdependence. In the Western world, we like to think we are independent and can do it on our own when, in reality, we suffer much when our social bonds are threatened or severed. We are hard-wired to need others, and living without connection to our community is not our best option for a long life. From families to friends to towns, our communities are essential to us, as they can positively or negatively impact us. This is a time when it is even more important to stay connected. Even if you are quarantined, you can stay in touch with your community or support system, whether by phone, email, zoom, or sending cards.
Collective Effort
It is not very easy for an Individual to make significant advancements on his/her own. All of our considerable progress in the world is the result of teams or communities working together. Think about it; it took a team to invent and advance technologies or put a man on the moon. For us to be effective, the borders and barriers preventing us from working effectively together must be taken down. Technology allows us to work from afar, but we must still work together from wherever we are for the greater good of all. Bruce Lipton says, “We as people are cells in the body of a collective organism called humanity.” We significantly impact each other and need to evaluate and change all that is keeping us separate or at odds.
We are no different from the forest; people need each other to survive and thrive. Our most incredible power is when we move into oneness as a global community. As individuals and groups, we are the reason there are dysfunction and disruption in our world. We are destroying our humanity by standing behind or limited opinions, not learning or listening, or allowing for differences. It is time to come together.
What Can We Do To Change This?
What if we began to think and act like trees, where we support the weakest link and band together to help all of humanity move forward as a whole? What if we were able to take down the walls and barriers and forgive and accept others? When we are all working towards a common goal, symbiotically, the energy between us is like a mighty wave that will bring us together and make us stronger. The bottom line is love. When you can love others and not judge them based on their differences, it will bring more harmony into our world. It starts with loving yourself and others and being rooted in love, compassion, and acceptance. This is the energy that will bring us together in Harmony and make a long-lasting, abundant forest, of not just humans, but a community of humankind.