#424: The Lesson of the Tree

As I looked at this picture of some gorgeous flowers in Japan, I was struck by the tree's shape, sort of bent and gnarled and curved over, not at all the perfect posture of the majestic Redwoods in California or other trees around the world that reach straight toward the sky .

But, to me, this tree's attraction lies in it's obvious imperfection and it reminded me of how many of us are judged by others because of our imperfections, such as being overweight or balding or too short or taller than average or because of a physical deformity or for numerous other superficial reasons.

When people judge like that, I believe they deprive themselves of seeing true beauty that is visible if we accept that not everything nor everyone is perfect. We're all different sizes, drive different age vehicles, live in different kinds of homes, wear different clothes, have different types of jobs, or no job, and a plethora of other differences that make each of us unique.

So, why are some people so quick to judge?

Could it be because they, themselves, feel insecure and think by demeaning or belittling or judging others that they in turn will then feel better about themselves?

But imagine what the world would be like if all of us wore the same clothes, same colors, same shoes, drove the same kind of car , lived in the same kind of home , were the exact same height and weight. It would be a pretty bland and boring world, wouldn't it?

When we see someone who is not "perfect" let's look at them for their inner beauty and their strength of character. Like looking at a Bonsai tree versus a Redwood versus an orange tree or like the one above whose beauty is a result of the effect of years of nature upon it.

We age and change appearance. We are thin and we are heavy
. We have smooth skin and skin that sags. Changes occur and there is nothing we can do to stop them, changes that mold us into the individual people we are, full of experiences and knowledge and skills that are vastly different from those of all other people in the history of the world .

When we are tempted to judge someone for one or more of their traits, let's remember the picture of the tree, a tree that is bent and gnarled and curved over and see beyond it's imperfection to it's natural beauty and realize people are just like that tree, if we only look past their so-called imperfections.