sjsprWriting

Dear Tree,

It’s hard for me to understand why you’re so selfless. You can’t possibly be happy giving away everything you have for nothing in return—not even recognition, not even a simple “thank you.” How can you possibly not feel any anger towards the boy, who took so much for granted? How can your happiness depend solely on making others happy?

I suppose it’s because you’re a tree—not a human. Humans tend to be selfish. Humans tend to give expecting something in return. Though we recognize we shouldn’t—though we strive to be like trees—selfishness is in our nature. We need to learn to give back for the sake of giving back. We need to emulate beings like you.