a different drum...
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The non-conformist |
"Insist on yourself; never imitate..." -Ralph W. Emerson |
It's mid-March and the river waters are rising. The mountain air, no
longer crisp, carries a supple sweetness in its warmth. It's the cool
scent of melted snow and damp earth and willow sap and afternoon sun on fallen
pine needles. The sounds, too, have shifted. The birds are louder,
more strident. Even the breeze summons a more robust and pervasive
whisper from the pine tops. Seed cones clatter and bounce through the
branches, hit the dirt and take a long shot at a regenerative go round.
Springtime, though but a promise only last week, is arriving in the West
Central Idaho Mountains.
After the chill dormancy of winter, the first afternoon at 70 degrees is a
grand happening. You can see, feel, hear, smell and touch LIFE as it stirs
and awakens and asserts itself yet again.
The Mail Collection Box Unit for my mountain neighborhood is nearly a mile
down the road from my home, and today my daily "mail pick-up" walk yielded some
spring pleasantries (like a black and orange striped wooly caterpillar, arching
and inching, arching and inching across the road) and one captivating surprise.
Today I discovered a pine tree growing down instead of up.
Pine trees growing at odd angles are not unusual. Whether by genetic
quirk or environmental influence, I've seen trunks spiraled, wavy, curly-cued
and even horizontal, but until today I had never seen a pine tree growing
virtually straight down. Its trunk starts out normal enough, rising about
15 feet skyward before it takes an inexplicable hairpin turn and then reaches
for the ground. The boughs appear healthy, the needles are green and full,
and the top ends about five feet above ground. It's rooted near the road;
remarkably, I had walked by it many times before and not noticed it. (70
degrees, short sleeves, and a leisurely walking pace is like vitamin E.
It's good for the eyes.) So, after I picked up my mail, I walked home, got
my camera, and then walked back to take a few pictures to share with you.
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Pine Photo Upside Down Take |
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It seems to me this pine tree has a lot to say to
those who will listen. Nature often does, sometimes in striking manner.
I really like this pine tree.
It goes its own way.
That is an inspiration.
In our increasingly complex society, there is a
great deal of pressure to conform. Spoken or unspoken, subtle or
forthright, there are persistent demands to fit in with the group, to imitate
others, to mold and shape personal values and ideas and opinions in a manner
that - like trees in a forest - is in line with the majority. And oh, how
easy and tempting it can be to deny our most authentic selves so as to move
smoothly and without incident in lock step with the popular standard!
And why not?
There is a lot of security and reassurance in
conformity.
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The tree top - a view from the ground |
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Corporations, governments, and yes, even
religions, frequently profit and flourish by fostering conformity.
I suppose conformity has its own place and value
and purpose in the yin and yang and grand scheme of life, but I tend to smile in
agreement with the view of Bertrand Russell who wrote, "One should respect
public opinion insofar as is necessary to avoid starvation and to keep out of
prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an
unnecessary tyranny."
This precious pine tree is a blessed anomaly.
Because it is distinctive, shall I take a chainsaw to it?
Not on your life.
On this stellar spring day in the mountains, it is
in my nature to remind you once again to honor that which distinguishes
you in this world. I encourage you to value the qualities of your
being that are different from the conforming majority, and to especially
cherish the diversity found in all of life...in it's infinite and
fascinating ways of expression. Respect for your own individuality
generates healthy respect for the unique attributes of others.
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Think for yourself.
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Go your own way.
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Grow your own way.
Hmmm. I'm going to call my discovery The
Church of the Upside Down Pine Tree. And I intend to pause there
frequently.
-Rev. Tom
"What are men
celebrating? They are all on a committee and hourly expect a speech from
somebody. Everybody is anxious to belong. Why should we be in such desperate
haste to succeed? If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is
because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears,
however measured or far away." -Henry
David Thoreau
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