Blossoms and flowers are resilient. They stand out in the wind, in the rain, in the snow, in sunshine – day and night – unperturbed, undiminished. They are resilient because they are flexible and fragrant, pliable and pleasant, supple and soft, tender and tolerant, gentle, adaptable and light.
Flowers take their nutrients from the soil, moisture from the rain and energy from the sun. They need no fossil fuels to flourish; that is why they help to regulate the climate rather than destabilise it.
Flowers are very useful members of the earth family. They provide nectar for the bees to make healing honey, beautiful blossoms that develop into nourishment, and an uplifting aroma to please human hearts.
They show that we are all related, we are all connected, we are all an integral part of the web of life, and we all exist within the context of mutuality and reciprocity. This is why flowers benefit everyone without discrimination. They give their fragrance and fruits with unconditional generosity; saints or sinners, poor or rich, humans or animals, bees or wasps – all are invited to enjoy the abundant gifts of flowers.
Flowers inspired poets like Wordsworth, who delighted in daffodils, and painters like Van Gogh, who celebrated sunflowers. The Buddha holds a lotus flower in his hand to teach wisdom and enlightenment while Lakshmi, the Indian goddess of prosperity, stands on the lotus to show that true wealth is neither money nor gold nor diamonds, but pure water, clean air, healthy soil and Nature in good heart, of which the lotus is a potent symbol. Lakshmi asks us all to include flowers in our families as they are the real fortune. The Bible teaches us to live like the lilies that are graceful and fulfilled and totally at ease within themselves, without any need for toil or struggle.
If we were to derive our energy from the sun, wind and water as flowers do, our energy supply would be assured and sustainable. If our economy could be as elegant as flowers, if our businesses could be as beautiful, if trade could be as tender and tolerant, if politics could be as pleasant, if our society could be as supple and soft as flowers, then we would have a resilient economy, resilient trade, resilient politics and a resilient society. So why not be like flowers and act like flowers?
Resilient flowers need resilient fields and forests to flourish. Wild flowers need wild fields and forests. Forests are the lungs of the Earth and a guarantee of a stable climate as they host the harmonious dance of carbon and oxygen that is the lifeline of all living beings.
Carbon trading, carbon sequestration and umpteen other commercial or technological solutions are secondary; the first and foremost step to ensure climate stability is the protect, honour and celebrate our flowers and forests. When I look at our urban conglomerates, our housing estates, our industrial landscapes and our ever-enlarging business parks, I wonder: where have all the flowers gone? Where have all the forests gone? Let us bring them back. Let there be a meeting of Nature and culture in our world.
Let us plant flowers, trees and forests all around us; let us see and acknowledge “heaven in a wild flower” as William Blake exhorted, and let us stop those who are cutting down our rainforests for short-term commercial gain.
Trees and flowers are the answer. Now what is the question?
Satish Kumar
RESURGENCE Magazine
If you are interested in the well-being of our planet, the beauty of our environment, the myriad of life forms that exist on this earth, the inspiration of art, the spirit of all life, the rich tapestry of our rivers, forests, and oceans, the diversity of cultures, the beauty of life – then subscribe to RESURGENCE Magazine. It will inform and inspire you to greater heights – there is no other magazine like it.
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These exquisite photographs by Russell Pell could be paintings from the masters. There have been millions of photographic images taken of flowers around the world but none quite as original as these by Russell Pell. The abstract nature of them appears as if they were painted in oils, however Russell froze the flowers in water and for a brief period of time they were suspended in a block of ice. Frozen in time, he captured the divine in nature for all to see. The ice melts, the flowers fade but through Russell’s unique imagery these incredible moments remain. How briefly beauty reveals itself through the imagination and wonder of life.