We have so much to learn from the giant sequoia/redwood trees!!

Certain facts of nature are truly astounding.  I was amazed to learn that the largest trees on our planet, redwoods and sequoias, have a shallow root system.  It is truly miraculous that trees as majestic and grand as these could stand and thrive long enough to grow so large with such a shallow structure.  Common sense would seem to dictate that over the thousands of years that some of these trees have stood, storms, wind, rain, would have toppled them since their roots don’t stretch far into the earth.  But they do stand for centuries and they do withstand storms, and they don’t fall…why?

It seems these giant trees have an elaborate, far reaching, if not deep, root system.  Their roots grow more horizontally, they latch onto other roots from fellow redwoods or sequoias and their strength comes from their community. I suppose they truly live the saying, “United We Stand”!  What an important lesson to be learned here!  These root systems are large, extending over 100 miles.  They intertwine with the roots all around them.  Baby redwoods latch onto the root system at the base of their parents and obtain their nourishment to grow and thrive.  These trees grow in clusters shaped like circles, these circles are sometimes called fairy rings. What a beautiful image that captures the magic of what these forests must exude.  Someday, I would love to go see these giants.  What a sight they must be, what a feeling they must give!

One other fact that I find so interesting about these trees is their dependence on fires to periodically sweep through.  Something so frightening as a fire has to visit them or they would not survive!  Naturally, every 25 years or so, a huge fire would happen to burn through sections of the forest clearing out all the built up debris that would otherwise keep the sunlight from reaching the ground.  The sunlight is necessary for other plants to grow, plants that would never be able to exist without access to the sun.  The bark of the redwoods and giant sequoias are not immune to fire, but the living part of their bark contains no flammable resin and is extremely thick and durable.  Only the dead wood inside the tree will burn, leaving the living parts that much stronger!  After the fires clear the ground, seeds from the redwoods themselves could grow with an increased chance of survival.  The ash left from the fires would leave nutrients that would seep into the ground after a rain.  These nutrients are also necessary for plants to grow.

The fire that is so necessary to the survival of the forest can be equated to a society's need to clear out the old, built up, cluttered, archaic views of its' existence.  Just as this clearing makes the forest stronger, a rethinking of our world view could only make our lives richer and stronger. A re-evaluation of humanities reliance and interdependence on each other would make our shared lives together on this beautiful planet so much richer.  The 'baggage' being cleared from the ground of these majestic trees makes them all stronger.  This enables the sun to shine through, reaching and warming parts of the earth that need it to thrive and grow.  

As a people, we need to clear our thoughts periodically, and no longer functioning ideas need to be discarded.  Sometimes it takes a deep awakening to discover that we are all people who are connected to each other and we need to allow the sun and all the goodness that is so abundant in our world to shine and permeate all of our lives.  Only by making the best possible environment for all can we each live our best, most meaningful life.

Learning about these giant trees is so interesting, so poignant.  If only we, human beings, could truly take their lessons to heart.  Imagine if we lived our lives reaching out to others in order to be stronger, instead of digging deep and alone into our own small existence?  No one person, like no one giant tree, can truly survive all that life brings alone.  Imagine how much lovelier, how much calmer, how much safer we would all feel if we had an elaborate root system that kept us standing through rough times and nourished us all in good times!  Families and friends are a great source of this root structure, and would still be at the heart, but even there, in too many cases it’s my family vs. your family, or my country vs. your country, or my people vs. your people…when, in reality, we are all ONE.  If mankind supported and helped each other instead of hating and blaming and weakening; killing and destroying each other, wouldn’t we ALL be better?  If one giant redwood stole all the nourishment in the ground causing the other trees to fail, eventually, that giant would also die, so what’s the point?  Lifting others, not stepping on them, best shows strength.  Living life to the fullest involves being a part, not being separate.  In reality, there are not differences among us that really matter.  We all have the ability to capture the love in our hearts and give it freely, give it with every breath so we can all live our one life in peace, love and abundance.