Life lessons from leaves

The greenery of shrubs, plants and trees is something we tend to take for granted. As William Blake wrote "the tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing which stands in the way. As a man is, so he sees". People who view it only as a ‘green thing‘ do grave injustice to Nature. The green pigment comes from chlorophyll. And it is this which helps the plant absorb sunlight and create its own energy through the process of photosynthesis. It would be remarkable if it were just this -but the process is so much more than merely making ‘life from light’. Plants take in carbon dioxide, harmful to human beings, and release precious oxygen.

They are so many life lessons to be learnt from this. There are very many things happening around us - good and bad. As human beings we tend to focus more on, and get bogged by, the negativity around us. Consequently, there is much unhappiness, unpleasantness, unkindness, bitterness, and bickering. We forever seem to find many reasons to complain and make ourselves unhappy. We seem to absorb all the external negative energy leaving us resentful, unhelpful, and seemingly without the ability to overcome its effects. We tend to become messengers of gloom. We are neither able to see the good things of life nor appreciate the vast goodness which surrounds us. And where we can so easily spread much-needed positivity and cheer, we tend to spread negativity. And this, even though there are so many reasons to be grateful and happy. One has but just to look around to see how blessed most of us are - but even the more fortunate seem to constantly complain.

This would be akin to a situation where the ‘green things’, the omnipresent leaves, were only to imbibe carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, which is increasing with pollution, and not release oxygen. The plants would wither away. As has been pointed out when trees are felled, they lead to the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the air which leads to global warming.

Worse we would be deprived of life-giving oxygen and would be left gasping for breath. Walt Whitman considered trees as the wisest of teachers-and for a good reason. So, the next time you see a leaf, remember the goodness which the leaf spreads. Emulate it. Spread happiness. And if you cannot, at least do not spread fear and doubt and negativity. The world deserves better. The choice is ours.