As I walked under the shade of trees lining the campus, a soft breeze blew and the branches with thick green foliage swayed gracefully, akin to a slow dance. The rustling sound of the leaves and the whistle of the wind created the timeless music of nature and the tall proud trees moved as one in perfect rhythm, occasionally bowing as if to acknowledge the directions of the invisible maestro of the beautiful symphony.
The blue sky dotted with the tufts of white cottony clouds formed the quintessential backdrop, with the rays of the sun caressing the leaves and cascading down to the earth. The mix of green and blue-life and vibrancy-was picture perfect but how many times had I walked past without paying much attention to this magical tapestry?
Plant blindness-“the inability to see or notice the plants in one’s own environment” is very real. Quite a few experiments were conducted in this regard and the conclusion was that we fail to notice or remember plants as much as we do animals or even buildings.
Primarily this could be because the human brain filters out non-threatening things and groups similar things together. Plants become a clump of greenery and not individual living things that they actually are.
Plants do not call for attention or make a noise about the pivotal role they play to sustain life on earth. Plants are the life-givers on earth, providing crucial oxygen to all living things in addition to being the primary producers without which the entire eco system will collapse in a matter of few days.
The plants do not seem to know their true worth, they just grow doing good to the world, by and large minding their own business. They do not overtly compete with each other for the earth’s resources and try to make do with whatever they can get.
In return to what they take from the earth, plants shower us with an abundance that’s quite humbling! Most of our needs are met, thanks to this gentle kingdom of life. We aren’t always that considerate though, we plunder entire forests for our selfish needs and we destroy them for our survival. While I understand that the law of nature must prevail and their place in the food web must be valued, I advocate a bit more appreciation for these life givers!
Many of us would be able to name a few extinct or endangered animals but how many of us would be able to the same for plants? Many of us would be able to describe the last animal we saw but the last plant we saw? We do take plants for granted because they are not demanding, can’t call for our attention, do not make a face or complain…..the list goes on.
They have always been there for us, the huge ones soaring into the sky, the wild ones their beauty unseen and unappreciated, the tiny ones with short sprightly lives, the blooming ones filling the air with colours, the fruit laden ones, the ones full of bird-nests …. all with it’s own charm and usefulness.
I often wonder about the people who would have planted the saplings ages ago. Did they visualise how different the world would be when the trees would be towering and they themselves would be gone? I wistfully think of those kindred, selfless souls who would have planted trees not for any gains for self but for the future generations.
Their one act of kindness had transcended years and changing neighbourhoods providing one comforting constant, benefiting innumerable, humans and animals.
I wonder about the trees too! If only they could speak, they’d have tales and tales of people around them to tell, of new arrivals and the departed, of the transformations, of the conversations, of happy times and sad times. None can ever witness what the trees may over the years! It’s fascinating to think of the trees as silent observers jotting down historical milestones, ordinary sundry events et al in their plant minds.
They are the meek and docile life forms on earth though there are some rare species which do kill, insectivorous plants for example, and harm others — the poison ivy- but again only when you go to them and interfere with their lives!
Aren’t there people too in the world who do exceptional work but may go unnoticed because they don’t trumpet about it? They go about their way quietly, without trampling on others, focusing on the job in hand and not looking out for accolades or rewards.
I hope we will have the wisdom to acknowledge both the species.
— Annie Mathew is an educator and freelance writer based in Dubai.