Lessons in Life of a Leaf
You don’t have to live a lifetime to learn how to live a life.
If we look around, there are countless sources offering experiential lessons for anyone to learn from. Of course, this is over and above the natural ability to think, judge and self-learn from individual experiences. The nature, in a variety of ways, has embedded signs for us humans to explore and ponder to uncover the secrets of life.
The biggest constraint remains the fact that there is just one life to live in this world; and, whatever lessons one tries to learn from own or others’ experiences, or observations, could only be of any value if adopted and experimented in the same life. Otherwise, it could just end in regret, sorrow or frustration.
According to some calculations, there are hundreds of billions of trees in this world with, on average, a hundred feet tall tree carrying more than 3.2 million leaves. These countless leaves — living and breathing, mostly have a seasonal life. We see them appear on dry branches, giving a tree its color and shade; and then, growing in size to attain maturity leading them to another phase of reduction in size and dullness in shade as seasons change, thus completing a lifecycle.
Similar is our life, starting with a nascent being to reach youthful years; finally, bending and twisting in old age till one day withering away in silence. However, as compared to a leaf, our lifecycle spans over some decades. Also, unlike a leaf, we have been given a thinking mind and an emotional being to judge; be happy; or, be sad. Still, we can learn some lessons from the short lifespan of a leaf.
The first and the foremost — any life, short or long, has a limit. It will end.
Secondly, energy, power and attraction of any type (be it beauty, success or fame) grows to reach a limit that cannot be sustained indefinitely as all of these strengths must lead to their weaker stages before completely passing.
Another one is the fact that each one of us is a connecting part and not the whole when it comes to the face of a society, and due to that very reason we just cannot absolve ourselves on an individual level from the shortcomings of a society as a whole. Like leaves on a tree, we humans give shape and shade — good or bad; pretty or ugly, to a society. Thus, the third lesson to learn from a leaf’s life is to be mindful of our share that we contribute either towards betterment or destruction of a society’s values.
Lastly, as a leaf remains of some value in whatever phase of its lifecycle — even after falling from a tree it passes on its energy, whatever remaining, to the nourishment of the soil it degenerates in. In the similar way, our lives must be of some value when we are gone, leaving something behind for the benefit of the world and the generations to come. This could take any form, depending on each individual’s strengths and circumstances. Some may teach and train; some may undertake actions focusing environment and climate; some may initiate some sort of philanthropic activity; some may fight for a cause with a larger impact; or, some may just write, sharing experiences.
