I saw this on Facebook this past week and decided it is worth contemplating.
It encourages us to look at people (not just ourselves) from a different perspective than we often do.
As trees grow, they continue to provide food and shelter for birds and other animals. They give shade. They filter the air taking in carbon dioxide and giving off oxygen. They blanket the ground with leaves and replenish the soil, and provide a host of other benefits.
We get old.
I no longer work or produce anything to benefit society. I often say that I am the least productive person I know. Maybe building flowerbeds and planting flowers is productive. It does feed the birds and bees and other pollinators.
I did switch to a hybrid vehicle this year and that's better for the environment than the older car I was driving, plus it provided work for the laborers that built it (in Mexico).
I am still a consumer of goods that buys stuff and eats out often. I'm not a job creator, but I do need people in jobs that provide services and products that I use.
I may not be productive at this point in my life, but I do pay for other people to produce. I guess it's called privilege.
Maybe I need to focus more on growing and continuing to be a benefit to society. I think that trees are a good analogy since they are pretty passive in their contributions to nature.
Hmmm...
Are you growing?
...or just getting old?
John
You produced a fine post!
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