Today I witnessed a tree being felled. It wasn't as if I had a personal relationship with this tree - in fact, the tree and I had never been introduced. I just watched its descent, from my car window, as I whizzed past at fifty-seven miles per hour. My instinct was to slow down, as if the act of decreasing my speed would somehow demonstrate respect for the felled tree but I was in a long line of vehicles that would not have appreciated my car slowing for any reason - especially not the felling of a tree.
I don't think the tree had ever done anything to anyone, or insulted anyone in any way. It's innocence should have been obvious to the machine that did the ugly deed, yet it was determined by minions somewhere ages and ages past that this tree and all others in a certain path will be detrimental to progress.
Whose progress, I ask myself? Mankind's progress. Let us widen the path for a future road so more traffic can speed north and south in a most efficient manner? Let us widen the path so we can arrive to our destinations more quickly and thus accomplish more?
The tree did not deserve to fall because "we" want to move more vehicles on a daily basis. It was a healthy tree, that I could see. It had leaves and many large branches that had grown from its base. It would have provided shade and, perhaps, even refuge to birds and animals. Now it may become plywood, one-by-twos, or worse yet, mulch.
Tonight I question the definition of progress. As "we" move faster, disseminate information faster, communicate with greater speed than the world has ever known, can this be called improvement? Progress?
I think the tree would think not.
Thanks, William.
Ancora imparo
