Saturday, September 17, 2005
Seed of life
Potential lies in an apple seed... the potential to evolve into an apple tree and produce apples, which will fall and produce more apple trees.
The apple tree silenty evolves year after year, expressing more dynamic and beautiful parts of itself, like leaves and blossoms until eventually, after some sufficient epoch, if conditions are favorable, it 'evolves' what seems a quantum leap forward into supporting an entirely new and excitingly delicious kind of life... an APPLE!
The apple is special and knows it. It feels superior to the rest of the tree, as the latest and fullest expression of life itself. With an increasing sense of self-imporantce, it does its best to separate from the tree and do its own thing, even looking sideways at the other apples with a sort of competitive scorn. It marvels at how different it is from the tree and the other fruits in the orchard. It grows vain, admiring its shiny red skin and divine round shape. It is worldly and beautiful and unique- delicious and revered.
Eventually, after what seems a lifetime, it feels its skin shiver ever so slightly with the premonition of an approaching coldness. It feels its acidic meat mellowing and sweetening.
Then it happens. In a wind storm, it finally achieves the separation from the limitations of the tree. It falls ceremoniously toward the ground, elated at this chance for freedom... for this chance to use its divine roundness to roll anywhere it wants to go. But upon landing, however, it feels strangely ill at ease. After a few short rolls from the momentum of the fall, it is not able to move at all! It struggles with this mighty limitation, until, by chance, it looks to the spot where another apple had fallen long ago. Suddenly a flash of insight fills the apple with peace. Decomposing in the grass, gazing at the miraculous tree sprouting from the other apple's resting place, it finally sees its true nature. It feels its fruity flesh melt away, beautifully overmatched by the solvent effects of time. Its dying mind flashes back to an image of mother tree. At that humblest of moments, it recognizes itself as none other than the tree itself, united in cause and effect.
The apple tree silenty evolves year after year, expressing more dynamic and beautiful parts of itself, like leaves and blossoms until eventually, after some sufficient epoch, if conditions are favorable, it 'evolves' what seems a quantum leap forward into supporting an entirely new and excitingly delicious kind of life... an APPLE!
The apple is special and knows it. It feels superior to the rest of the tree, as the latest and fullest expression of life itself. With an increasing sense of self-imporantce, it does its best to separate from the tree and do its own thing, even looking sideways at the other apples with a sort of competitive scorn. It marvels at how different it is from the tree and the other fruits in the orchard. It grows vain, admiring its shiny red skin and divine round shape. It is worldly and beautiful and unique- delicious and revered.
Eventually, after what seems a lifetime, it feels its skin shiver ever so slightly with the premonition of an approaching coldness. It feels its acidic meat mellowing and sweetening.
Then it happens. In a wind storm, it finally achieves the separation from the limitations of the tree. It falls ceremoniously toward the ground, elated at this chance for freedom... for this chance to use its divine roundness to roll anywhere it wants to go. But upon landing, however, it feels strangely ill at ease. After a few short rolls from the momentum of the fall, it is not able to move at all! It struggles with this mighty limitation, until, by chance, it looks to the spot where another apple had fallen long ago. Suddenly a flash of insight fills the apple with peace. Decomposing in the grass, gazing at the miraculous tree sprouting from the other apple's resting place, it finally sees its true nature. It feels its fruity flesh melt away, beautifully overmatched by the solvent effects of time. Its dying mind flashes back to an image of mother tree. At that humblest of moments, it recognizes itself as none other than the tree itself, united in cause and effect.
