While walking through a quiet area, I let my gaze go over the surrounding landscape. There I discovered, looking at the bright blue sky, a bare tree on the top of a hill. Standing there: lonely. I stared at it for a while. What struck me was the loneliness of that single tree. I was surprised that, while I was staring, a figure of a human slowly appeared. That human, too, stood there alone and abandoned next to that tree.
Two lonely creatures, once formed on this planet. The tree that tries to survive and protect the lonely human. The lonely human who wants to use the tree for his own needs: wood for fire, wood to build, wood to use in tools. A curious contrast between two natural beings, created during the evolution on this planet.
A contrast to a curious ending: the tree that provides protection is used; the human who uses the tree causes its own end.
The tree on the hill could be a beacon of contemplation. Thoughts that are about how we as humans misusing this planet. Thoughts on the function of life on this planet and that the evolution of life that created an animal species in the form of a human species.
Thoughts on the confusion of man in his role, which he should play in his short life in the future of this planet. Confusion about the chaos he’s causing. Confusion about abuse of power and deliberately, or unconsciously, destroying the ecology of which he is a member.
The loneliness is exacerbated by the fact that this planet on which we live, as part of our solar system, is unique in its kind. All the searching for a new Earth still hasn’t paid off. And even if we found something, that Earth would be unreachable with current and future technology to make space travel successful over such huge distance. Man is bound by the fate of this planet. A fate with an uncertain end.
Our idea of traveling to other planets in our solar system only reinforces the feeling of how lonely we are in this universe. Large and powerful countries that travel separately to Mars with a remote-controlled robot.
This has not been done for the benefit of man, but for the expansion and consolidation of power, separate from scientific research.
Looking for a new power base, with the sole purpose of finding raw materials. And also, to create a new chaos of human stupidity on those almost unreachable planets. To challenge each other’s power over which part of them is on which they landed first. Repetition of our eternal mess.
The lonely tree on the hill sees all that and tries to protect the lonely human standing next to him.
I tear myself away from my gaze and dream and continue my way as my thoughts on the foregoing swirl through my head. One of those swirls is: the closer I get to the end of my life, the vaguer my hope becomes that we as human beings will eventually choose the right things. I feel like a kid in a big candy store, but who don’t have the money to buy anything.
No fear of the things that will come, but the gnawing doubt that humans and this planet will ever be okay.
Walking further, the lonely tree on the hill slowly disappears from my field of view. The human standing next to him was already gone.
Will that lonely tree on the hill eventually survive us?
