The Flower

If one considers life on earth for any length of time it is probable that the unfathomable number of individual organisms existing presently or at any time past or future will eventually creep into the mind causing said mind to quickly grind to an impasse. Contemplate the number of human beings on the planet for instance – over seven billion. This number pales in comparison, however, to the number of individual insects or spiders that co-habitate at any one moment in time. Eltonian pyramids and food webs show us that the number of individual producer organisms is hundreds if not thousands of times the number of primary consumers so it becomes quickly evident that the number of plants that live on earth is astronomical. The odds of encountering any particular species of plant, then, are slim indeed but the odds of a chance meeting with an individual of any species are beyond comprehension. There are a phenomenal number of humans on this planet that we will never see, hear, smell, greet, break bread with and so on and so on. There are humans that don’t know if they exist and so would be hard pressed to have ever examined the possibility that you or I exist. There are star-nosed moles, for example, that are conceived, born, developed, chased, eaten and digested that no human will ever see or even think about. Why would we? They are of no concern to us are they?

Thousands of species of microorganisms, fungi, primitive plants and insects, including billions of individuals within those species, have existed and become extinct without the single glance from a human being ever been cast upon them.

Imagine, then, that there exists a small flower – a flower so tiny that it would never be noticed in any garden or on any city street or in any meadow – a flower so miniature that you would step on it and squash it beneath your foot without so much as a thought – a flower so diminutive that it may come and go in time without any insect ever having come in contact with it. So small indeed, that no gust of wind would ever carry its pollen to another plant of its species to commence the cycle of reproduction and the creation of any other organism in its likeness and so it would be the only flower like itself anywhere or in any time. Imagine that flower, my friend, and then imagine that it could be tucked away so far from human life that it would never be seen or touched or smelled. Imagine that that flower exists and that your task is to somehow find it and encounter its beauty and size and wonder. Wouldn’t that be a monumental task? Where would you start? Never in a gazillion years would you find that flower – no matter how hard you tried. So, if for any reason, you actually found that flower that would be a miracle wouldn’t it?

On a day hike near Lake MacArthur in the Canadian Rockies in Banff National Park one summer, Carmen and his brother Bradley found that flower. They noticed it and commented on it and doted on it the way gardeners dote on black roses or orchids. They admired it as if it were important. They remarked on its uniquely miniscule size and lavished in the luck they had to see such a flower. Then they walked away when the time came and they realized fully well that they were probably the only human beings past, present or future that had encountered or would ever encounter that particular flower. Likewise, the flower would likely never have encountered another human individual so the flower’s impression of a human experience would be based solely on its chance meeting with the boys. When a person thinks of the world and its inhabitants like that, it becomes easier to realize the precious nature of every living thing that exists or has existed around us. No living thing is more important than any other living thing. We are all part of the same world. We share the world with big individuals and little tiny individuals and we need to make sure that we acknowledge them and that they see us as kind, helpful and effort-laden individuals.

There was a time in this universe when neither you nor I existed and there will again come a time when neither you nor I will exist. So, in this brief instant of time that I have been given to patrol my part of the universe I find myself extremely fortunate to have encountered the things I have – the family, the friends, the music, the games, the laughs and the things that made me laugh, the tears and the experiences that made me cry or that made me proud or angry or fearful. I am amazed by others and by nature and by the way people “work with their machines”. I am fortunate indeed, to have existed in the time window that I exist in and to have sensed and felt the world that I have. More than anything, though, I feel lucky to have encountered YOU. As with the flower, I could have searched forever and never come across YOU. I might have never experienced the one and only you. And, as with the flower I will never take that encounter for granted. I will notice you and remark on your character and characteristics. I will dote on you the way gardeners dote on black roses or orchids and when the time comes I will walk away realizing fully well that I may have been the only human to have ever encountered you in that way and also realizing that your experience may well have been the only one with someone like me.

In case the forces of the universe never bring us back together, let me say that, I hope you will continue to enjoy even the simplest and smallest of pleasures.