Stray Thoughts

Twin trees on the sand at Kings Beach, Tahoe Vista, California

 

Twin Trees

You know those double trees that you see now and then? The twins that apparently grew from a single seed but immediately differentiated into what appear to be two independent trees? They are great examples of the dichotomy between individual and group life. We are all like those trees. In fact we are those trees. All life on Earth is composed of living cells, sometimes specialized to function with others in a larger organism. Everything that makes us up – all the matter and energy – is recycled from other living beings and exchanged with others all the time. We are like the cells that make up our bodies, part of a larger life system we may not pay conscious attention to. Our brains have developed egos that can get in the way of understanding that we are not isolated; we are parts of a whole.

What Does it Mean to Be an Individual: The video!

Well, here I am again, this time in video form. But, as you will see, what I mean by “I” I’m not sure….

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Tragically, this isn’t the first time my videos have muscled their way into my blog. Click the flower for another video intrusion: