Feeling disconnected...?

The Truth About Interdependence: Connection

It is incredibly awe-inspiring to simply pick up a leaf off the ground and think about it as if it were a thing in and of itself. A leaf is a little work of natural art because of its shape and color, the way it feels in your fingers, its delicate veins, and the stem that previously held it fast to the limb of a tree. All of these characteristics combine to show that a leaf is a work of art. We find that the leaf is one small but essential component of a system that harnesses the energy of the sun, plumbs the depths of the earth, and in the process creates the oxygen that many living things rely on to live. As we contemplate this small object more deeply and consider where it came from and what purpose it has served, we discover that the leaf is one component of a system that does all of these things.

A leaf is responsible for converting the elements of its surroundings, such as sunlight, carbon dioxide, and rain, into food for the tree it resides on. This lovely, almost weightless, ephemeral piece of nature serves as a critical conduit to the branch, which in turn serves as a conduit to the trunk, which in turn serves as a conduit to the tree's roots. The trunk, the branches, and the leaves all receive their nourishment from the leaves, which in turn receive it from the roots. The living things that take in the oxygen that is produced as a byproduct of this process are the same ones that release the carbon dioxide that nourishes the leaves, which in turn nourishes the tree. It can be difficult to discern the point at which one cycle completes and another begins.

The abundant blessings that nature bestows upon us include, among other things, a crystal-clear illustration of the interconnectedness of all forms of life. Nobody could live if they weren't a part of this cycle—not the person who breathes out the carbon dioxide, not the clouds that bring the rain, not the sun that shines, nor the leaf that converts everything into food for the tree—none of these things could exist without the other. For its own survival, every living creature is dependent on the existence of other living things. When we take a glance around us, we notice that the world is not a place where individual humans are able to make it through without assistance from others. The living organisms that call Earth their home are intertwined in a complex network of interdependencies, much like a revolving kaleidoscope of connections. To live and thrive, we are dependent upon one another.