Greetings, friend. I may have neither eyes to see nor feet to
move, but I have come to know and see many things. Our kind doesn’t need eyes to see or feet to
move in order to know and see the world around us. We simply feel the world; we are one with
nature. I would be very pleased if you
would come and listen to me speak, for I have much to tell and little time to
tell it in; I feel that the end of my life is drawing very near.
Earth, the place I call home, is a
place filled with both wonder and woe.
In my 100 years, I have seen many changes, both good and bad. The change of the seasons, alterations in
species and populations, and the miracle of new life occur every day. These are causes for wonder, and my soul
sings to experience these wonderful events, but there are also terrible
changes. These changes are brought forth
by creatures called humans.
Like humans, all animals are able
to think and perceive all kinds of amazing things, but unlike the other
creatures, humans regrettably use this power of perception to do terrible
things quite often. They have a terrible
need for control over one another and a need for possessions; greed is their
downfall. I have seen wars, pollution,
cutting down of my fellow companions, murdering of helpless creatures (even of
their own kind), and countless other evil deeds. I can only sit helplessly and watch these
terrible events unfold around me. I try
to communicate with the humans, urging them to change their ways, but all they
make of my communication is a series of creaks and moans. It is terribly frustrating. All I can do is pray that the next generation
of humans will learn from its mistakes.
This sometimes happens, but the greed never truly goes away. As I near the end of my life, I think I have
discovered why this greed exists; humans seem to keep this greed to cover-up
their fear, their fear of the unknown.
Humans live forever wondering what the meaning of life is, when it
really is right there in front of them.
Having lived for so long, in
constant observance of the world around me, without possessing corruption and
greed as the many humans I have come to know to possess, the meaning of life
becomes clear. If you don’t already know
the meaning of life, then it would be almost impossible for me to tell you, but
the best way I know how to explain it is this: the meaning of life is in the
very word itself: “life.” The meaning of
life is “life.” What makes this
definition tricky is that “life” is different for every individual creature,
but this is also what makes the definition so beautiful and marvelous. Life is startlingly unique and complex, an
intricate snowflake; no two lives are the same.
So, as my death comes nearer and nearer, I do not face it with
fear. Death is only the next stage of
life. Therefore, I shall greet it with
open branches.
