A Physicological Question

ripsgreentree

While I was reading Matts "auction bashing" thread I was posed with this thought.

We westerners, "Americans" for the most part, are like a child sitting in the middle of a room gathering toys in a pile before ourselves. Fighting for more, crying when we lose something and being petulant when we see someone with more than we have.
Having no patience but wanting everything now.

This lead me to the next thought which is my question.

Who or What is more importiant, the tree or the Owner/Cartaker of the tree?

This was like falling off of a cliff for me and I have not been able to stop thinking of diffrent stenarios that would set one over the other. I being Human, place great value on who and what I am. This tree will die without proper care and become valueless. But if it recieves the care that it needs it can live for hundreds of years, which I can not do even with the best of care.

This is my ballance point, in the end we will both die!

My hope is that my trees will servive me.

Glenn

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ripsgreentree

It requires an open hand to give and to recieve.

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Jay

Glenn, you are a team. The tree is guided by its partner to a goal.... if the tree finds itself with a new 'partner' it will possible go in another direction. As we have seen on this board when a tree is offered for suggestion, there are several thoughts as to how and where it will go. I'm sure we all guide our trees as we feel is best... when it is time for them to be with another, they will probably go in another direction.

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A Bonsai student living with his trees at N 44.37 W 77.49...
Think before you act... then think again... no good comes from rushing

salix

Glenn,

I guess it depends on what you mean by 'important.' I think most of the sellers you see on EBay think that their financial gain is more important than a bunch of stunted trees, and you can see that by the quality of their material.

Maybe another way to phrase you question could be to ask whether humans tricked trees into growing as bonsai, or whether trees tricked humans into feeding, pruning, propagating, and nurturing them. Or maybe neither side is important, and nobody got tricked, and we're just working together, trees and people, to do something kind of amusing, but not really all that important in the grand scheme of things.

On the one hand, humans hold the power of life and death over trees, but on the other hand, a ginkgo can live for 3000 years, and as a species, they have been around since the Permian Era. What's a couple hundred years in a pot to something that lives that long? A summer vacation? An eyeblink? Maybe trees view us the same way they view a bad aphid infestation.

Anyway, I think this is getting outside of the scope of your already reflective question, so I'll pull it in and just ask what you mean by important...

bonsaial1

Who Cares....certainly not the tree.....

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Real men don't wear coats with "happi" in the title.

Bonsainut

For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

-John

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Keep growing,---'Nut



Lethal Use of Farce

ripsgreentree

Bonsainut; On this we are in perfect agreement........A-Men

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ripsgreentree

It requires an open hand to give and to recieve.

Jay

Nut and Rip, I do not take difference with you, either of you, but how does it relate to the original question?

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A Bonsai student living with his trees at N 44.37 W 77.49...
Think before you act... then think again... no good comes from rushing

pdbbonsai

I would think it depends on how you feel when your tree dies....if you move on, and "dont care" one way or another......that would tell you something about yourself.
If you care, and try to find out what happened.....also...that tells you something about yourself.


As AL said.....certainly your trees dont care if you pass on. We being humans, have some control over our situations.

Paul

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It is essential to experience all the times and moods of one good place. (Thomas Merton)

BonsaiTalk is one good place. (me)

DavidN

Tough question Glenn. The tree is of ultimate imprtance for me. However I believe that in my care they can and hope to live longer than me. At that time they will be handed down to hopefully a son or daughter who care to continue the care and longevity of the tree. Therefore you can say that I a guilty of hoarding my trees and wanting to keep them mine. I guess you are right when you say it is human nature to have and keep as much as you can.

David