Letting

There's been a lot going on in the world recently. So much good and bad that it's harder to keep up as time goes on. I don't necessarily sense that things have gotten better or worse, just more open and in your face. It's impossible to be ignorant these days. With all the new atrocities we see our species commit, one can't help but feel discouraged and hopeless. Not too long ago you would have secrets, news, and knowledge that perhaps people wanted to know, or didn't. Now all the information you could ever need is crammed into your brain in the flash of an instant; everything we wanted to know, and even more of what we didn't. I think this makes things harder to let go, to leave alone even. There is such a web that strings us all together on this Earth that it has become a task to remove things from our lives. When I was younger, letting things go seemed easy, all you had to do was ignore it. If you didn't want to see that Benedict Arnold of a friend in your art class, you ignored them. Now things aren't as easily avoided. To let something go in this day you have to blot it out, remove it, delete it. Facebook, cell phones, e-mails, it all reminds us every day of people we know, and people we should have let go.
 Every person in our life is a tree that we nurture, slowly letting them grow, tending to them, pruning them even. Some trees grow strong and tall, some refuse to sprout, and some even attempt to shadow out the others. After time they start to grow on their own, they no longer need your care, they are self sustaining, and they will always, be there firm and steadfast. And every few years, some trees become hollow, lifeless, and a hazard; needed be to cut down. Over a few years we find we have a forest full of new and old trees. Some have their roots tied in with others, and some are fire hazards just waiting to destroy all other trees, but we keep a watchful eye and try to stop such things from happening before all our hard work is undone. The difference is that trees don't always intend to be this way. They are innocent, they are trees. People are not trees.
There are people that we will need here on Earth just as sure as we need trees. They will instill in us emotions and love and inspiration that we couldn't possibly achieve on our own. They will give us hope to grow strong and tall, to live to be something magnificent. And yet there are just as many that will only cast shadows over us, block out any light from us, and keep us from the rain we so desperately need. We look up to both families of trees. They are all wonders to behold. They are tall, beautiful, and grand. But it is grandeur and beauty that lifts some, and corrupts others. It takes work now, cutting down trees. Sometimes we may feel unsure that it is the right thing to do, and we will make mistakes. But as long as we plant new seeds for every tree we cut, our forest will grow strong and healthy, becoming a marvel to all that see it. I prefer to walk in forests of strong and noble trees. And that is letting my philosophy in a tea cup.