Jonas Doerr – Opinion Columnist
Our trees are lonely, and we are not loving them enough.
Trees cannot help other trees. All a tree is to another tree is a pollen receptacle, and everyone knows how objectifying it is to be a pollen receptacle. Trees never walk up to another tree and ask “How are you doing?” Maybe they yell it across the sidewalks to each other, but they never really mean it.
Trees never give each other hugs. What would the other trees think if one tree lifted its roots, strolled over, and gave the lonely tree pining (pun intended) for love a hug? It would be too embarrassing.
Being a tree is only about being the best tree. It’s about being the tallest tree, the most beautiful tree, and the tree that can yeet its seeds to the most distant locations.
The life of a tree is a life of competition: the survival of the fittest. For trees, it’s also the survival of the thirstiest, the strongest, and the thickest.
Yet we humans treat trees just as badly, if not worse! What are trees, if not objects of usefulness to us? We value trees for the nice tables they turn into, the carbon dioxide they suck out of the atmosphere, and the way their blossoms entice prospective students to come to Gustavus in the spring.
Rarely does anyone take time out of their day to console a lonely tree. Rarely does anyone give a melancholy tree a sweet, loving caress, except when they take an angry swipe at one of those chunky squirrels around campus. And never have I seen anyone give a tree a loving peck on the bark.
Some might say, why should we care about trees? Trees don’t have feelings! And certainly, it might seem that way for one who is not a tree. It is very difficult to empathize with another’s feelings, especially if we are unfamiliar with that worldview. A tree’s worldview is much different than our own, but how do we know that it doesn’t experience pain, or that it doesn’t need a little pick-me-up like a stressed student needs a Minecraft break?
Let us take some time out of our days to show a little love to the lonely trees. We can start by giving them some hugs. Although it may seem transactional at first because the warm bark feels so good, both sides benefit. Don’t worry about finding the right tree. There are thousands of different trunk sizes and textures, and everyone has at least one soul tree. Hugging the tree will provide relaxation and comfort for the tree and the person.
We can also spend some quality time with the trees to make them feel less lonely. As the days start to warm up again, bring out the hammocks and soak up some Vitamin D while swinging from a branch. Even better, risk life and limb by climbing onto a limb and taking it easy from a perch high up in a tree. The wind through one’s hair, the wind on one’s skin, and the swaying tree beneath one’s feet combine for a meditative experience, and the tree gets to enjoy the presence of a friend.
What many trees truly need is a voice telling them that they mean something. Studies have found that speaking to plants makes them healthier, and while some might say it’s the carbon dioxide and moisture from human breath, I think it’s more likely that trees need love like the rest of us. Do some trees a good turn and share a few
words of affirmation with the nearest oak.
Perhaps by now, it is clear that this is not really about trees. Trees can be lonely, but they are meant to grow alone. There is another species common to our campus that is not meant to grow alone, but they often do.
Some hear, “How are you doing?” every day, but no one really means it. The time they spend together is a competition for status or success. And how many people could use a warm hug from a friend?
It’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of college and see other people as scenery that occasionally has its uses. Sometimes even friends can seem like the sum of their usefulness. But this makes it even more important to take some time to show some love and remind ourselves that the people around us are emotional beings, too.
Maybe don’t hang a hammock from their limbs, but for the most part, what goes for trees goes for people. Spend some quality time together. Give them a hug. And don’t forget to remind them that they mean something and they’re a valuable human being.