On my first exploration of the woods, in the unfamiliar terrain my eyes were naturally more inclined to track the twists and turns of the path ahead. This brought me to the perfect level to observe the fungi and moss life that was prospering on the underside of the forest floor. So often we think of the decomposers as destroyers of life, that they are breaking down the final stages of livelihood within the trees that they begin to invade. That they are the closing of a narrative of that particular tree that may have seen a century worth of hikers walk along the trail that they oversee, but I believe that we should step back and understand the truer lesson to be told by fungi and moss life. All too often in our way of life, we see our existence as a straight moving line when in reality we--much like the fauna and flora of the forest live in the same circular lifespan. The forest within itself facilitates a broader sense of what it means to recycle, as they use the aging tree to facilitate new growth that will be home to all kinds of different lives. Fungi exists to break down the remains of a fallen tree, this can as well be seen in the more morbid ideas of what happens to fauna after their last breath. Though threw this ending of life, it brings forth plenty of new beginnings. The mushrooms will use the remains of the tree to reach out their network of roots, reproducing and pulling forth any nutrients remaining within the tree itself. It speaks to the idea that we shouldn't think of death as impending doom upon ourselves, but the possibility of a new beginning. It can even be used in a less dark sense as a lesson about potential failures in life. That if something doesn't end as we intend, it doesn't mean that we can't move forward and begin anew--using what was useful in the past to us and apply it to lessons that we may encounter in the future. It also is to be said that in the consumerist narrative that we as a society have created that it could aid us to look within nature and imagine new life for items that we take for granted. The trash that we so often see in landfills or littering our trails can be used for plenty of different things. They can be put forth towards typical recycling or used in other forms of creation. This lesson as well is twofold in the ideas that it brings forth as when the fungi and moss life use the remains of a tree, nothing is wasted. All too often we take go about our day not thinking of the waste that we create with things such as eating--the excessive plastic or the leftovers we leave untouched. We have learned that there will always be an excess of things, a reality that isn't true as the world moves forward. So, it should spring forth the ideas of making use of the things we use or at least as much we as individuals can. With Regards to the many lessons that something like decomposers can teach us about the world around us, take the knowledge forth and birth new life to something you once believed would soon be meeting its end. It will bring forth your own pride of knowing that however small, you are stepping forward into a new and sustainable way of thinking.
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AuthorA place to view my thoughts and stream of consiousness during the walks through the woods. As well as discoveries and memories that tie into the overarching class ideas. Archives
November 2022
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