If Trees Had Eyes

I often click on the "next blog" thingy at the top of my home page. I like to lurk. I'm curious about what other people have to say - whether it's to display home-made cards, family photos, or teenage rants - I'm just curious.

My click this morning got THIS blog

I found the fact that someone took the time to find the oldest tree in this region, and then put it on display for all to see and appreciate, quite intriguing. People really are fascinated by such things. We want to know about how this tree has stood through five centuries. Perhaps I should use the term "people" very loosely and simply speak for myself - I personally think it kinda cool to imagine what this tree has "seen" in its lifetime.

My thoughts immediately begin to turn to the kinds of things a tree would experience, what it would have looked upon, had God given it eyes to see.

How many times had its rough bark been grazed by human hands in passing?
How many children had hidden behind its thick trunk?
How many lovers embraced under its shade in the heat of summer?
How many of its flowers had adorned the crown of an autumn bride?
How many weary travellers had leaned upon its strength?
How many of its seeds were harvested in efforts to cure the sick?
How many battles were fought in the field it overlooked?
How much blood was shed upon its fallen leaves?

Then I realize that God in his wisdom perhaps denied a tree its eyes on purpose. Someone once said, "what the eyes cannot see, the heart cannot feel". I never felt this statement appropriate for a person. Perhaps the author was speaking of a tree - for with eyes, the sorrow it would have beheld would have suffered its death five thousand times over in the course of those centuries. Its visions fraught with such extremes of joy and grief would have corrupted its mind and this Bitaog would have long turned to dust. For who could withstand such emotional conflict?

Perhaps I should not speculate. Perhaps I allow my reflections to get me carried away. Perhaps the tree has simply been lucky enough not to have been met by a sharp axe. Perhaps.

Would this tree survive another five thousand years, what would its experience be? More of the same? But then, that I really cannot even imagine.

For more fabulous tree specimens visit http://scienceray.com/biology/botany/spectacular-trees-from-around-the-world/