You are God. You want to make a forest, something to hold the soil, lock up energy, and give off oxygen. Wouldnt it be simpler just to rough in a slab of chemicals, a green acre of goo? You are a man, a retired railroad worker who makes replicas as a hobby. You decide to make a replica of one tree, the longleaf pine your great-grandfather planted- just a replica- it doesnt have to work. How are you going to do it? How long do you think you might live, how good is your glue? For one thing, you are going to have to dig a hole and stick your replica trunk halfway to China if you want the thing to stand up. Because you will have to work fairly big; if your replica is too small, youll be unable to handle the slender, three-sided needles, affix them in clusters of three in fascicles, and attach those laden fascicles to flexible twigs. The twigs themselves must be covered by many silvery-white, fringed, long-spreading scales. Are your pine cones scales thin, flat, rounded at the apex? When you loose the lashed copper wire trussing the limbs to the trunk, the whole tree collapses like an umbrella. You are a sculptor. You climb a great ladder; you pour grease all over a growing longleaf pine. Next, you build a hollow cylinder around the entire pineand pour wet plaster over and inside the pine. Now open the walls, split the plaster, saw down the tree, remove it, discard, and your intricate sculpture is ready: this is the shape of part of the air. You are a chloroplast moving in water heaved one hundred feet above ground. Hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen in a ring around magnesiumyou are evolution; you have only begun to make trees. You are god- are you tired? Finished?
amen beauty belief consciousness creation curiosity disbelief energy enoughness epiphany exploration exultant faith fate fearless fire free freedom gaps god grace growth hallelujah humility illumination intricacy joy joyful joyfulness life-force light living-in-the-present-moment mindfulness multiplicity mystery nature philosopher-s-stone philosophy poem poet poetry power praise prayer prayers praying religion religious-diversity science seeing seeking soul spirit stalking-the-gaps the-tree-with-the-lights-in-it tolerance walking watching wonder

About This Quote

About Annie Dillard

Annie Dillard.

Themes

  • Beauty — Appreciating aesthetics, grace, and the sublime
  • Faith — Reflections on belief, spirituality, and trust in the unseen
  • Freedom — The value of liberty, independence, and self-determination
  • God — Spiritual reflections on the divine, faith, and creation
  • Nature — Appreciation for the natural world and our place within it
  • Philosophy — Deep thoughts on existence, knowledge, and the nature of reality
  • Poetry — The art of language, rhythm, and emotional expression
  • Power — The dynamics of influence, authority, and leadership
  • Religion — Exploring belief systems, worship, and spiritual practice
  • Science — Discovery, inquiry, and the wonders of the natural world
  • Soul — The inner self, consciousness, and spiritual essence

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