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“Hello! Can you hear me up there? Do you think you could take a little time to answer a couple of questions?”
“I guess I could spare a few minutes. What do you want to know?”
“You have some peers all around who look a lot like you. But of course you stand out because you are growing straight out of the center of a giant ancient redwood stump, which appears to be about twelve feet across. Do you know how old it was when it was cut down?”
“No, but I do remember that when I was a tiny sapling it seemed as though I was living in the middle of a great sea of rotting wood.”
“What does it seem like now?”
“Now I feel like I’m perched on a tiny pedestal and I have to struggle to keep from falling off.”
“How do you do that?”
“I have to send out roots in all directions, and hope that the old stump can maintain its condition.”
“It looks as if you are grasping it and trying to hold it together.”
“What I’m doing is a balancing act. I’m trying to keep myself upright, I’m trying to keep the stump intact, and I’m trying to get my roots around the stump and into the ground as far as possible. I also have to condition my roots to act as springs, so that my weight won’t crush the stump.”
“It sounds like your life is very different from that of your fellow redwoods.”
“Let’s face it. I’m a freak. How many giant redwoods do you know who are growing from the exact center of the stump of an ancient leviathan?”
“Maybe you should think of yourself as unique, instead of a freak.”
“Being unique is not a great virtue among my kind. We are conformists, although conformists on a grand scale.”
“Well, you’re as big and tall as any of your peers, and I can assure you that among humans you are exceedingly well admired.”
“Why so?”
“You are a wonder of Nature, not a freak. Also, you have an air of mystery and intelligence that intrigue people.”
“What kind of mystery and intelligence are you talking about?”
“Okay. Let me elucidate. The mystery, as I see it, comes in three parts. First, why were you born in the exact center of the stump of an ancient giant? Second, why did your roots grow laterally over the surface of the stump, instead of downward through the stump? And the third mystery has to do with the balancing act you have already described briefly. As for intelligence, you seem to have figured out at a very early age what you had to do to survive and what you had to do to keep the stump from being destroyed. Also the symmetry of your roots, the way they form a rimless wheel with spokes. This would seem to be a case of intelligent design.”
“Well, I’m flattered, I suppose, that you think I’m smart and mysterious. I’m probably not any smarter than any of my brothers or sisters, who would all have done the same thing in my place.”
“Yes. Then perhaps it’s a tribute to your species, as represented by yourself.”
“We like to think we’re special plants, but that’s just like the egoism of all living things.”
“Is that what makes you grow so tall?”
“No doubt.”
“A lot of plants prefer to grow outward.”
“To each his own.”
“You redwoods are known to live for centuries. Do you have any thoughts on the subject of wisdom and old age?”
“Hmmmm. I think I have enough wisdom to understand that your kind of wisdom and our kind of wisdom are very different. Other than that, I would say that in the universe of plants we are probably as wise as any, due largely to extreme long life. Many of us, unfortunately, are cut down before we have had a chance to attain either old age or wisdom.”
“How do you feel about that?”
“It’s disturbing and sad when a long-time neighbor is suddenly cut down and dragged away to be made into toothpicks.”
“Quite a few humans are also cut down at an early age, especially during wartime.”
“You humans are the only living things that make war on each other. And just about everything else. We redwoods, for example, feel that you are warring against us.”
“And there’s not much you can do to fight back.”
“Nothing at all. The only thing we can do is try to look beautiful and impressive so that people will want to keep us around for their enjoyment.”
“Some people are very passionate about keeping your kind alive. Your enemies are blinded by their desire for money. Your friends look at you and see beauty and magnificence. Your enemies look at you and see board feet.”
“Why are people so different?”
“That’s a difficult question. One theory is that Nature has made everyone different so that we may learn faster as a species.”
“How does that work?”
“The idea is that variety will present humans with the opportunity to explore in many directions, and make discoveries that will lead to understanding and improvement.”
“Do you think humans are improving?”
“We are improving as fast as we are destroying ourselves.”
“Maybe it was Nature’s mistake to make you all so different. And competitive.”
“Perhaps. But Nature has not given us the ability to deal with her mistakes. Anyway, I’m sure we would be a lot better off if we could learn more from other living things like yourself.”
“Well bring your friends around. Maybe I can teach them something.”
“You’ve taught me something. Thanks. I hope to see you again soon.”
“I’ll be here.”
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