The Man Who Planted Trees Book

We could learn from this if we really wanted to.

"When I reflect that one man, armed only with his own physical and moral resources, was able to cause this land of Canaan to spring from the wasteland, I am convinced in spite of everything, humanity is admirable."

I am forever an optimist despite the things I have seen and know about human nature and the destructive nature of our society. Our history is truly a bloody one. But I believe that we are capable of being better and doing better and, for me, this otherwise unremarkable story captured that perfectly. It is a story about renewal and rebirth; it is a story about regeneration and the purity of a life lived for a good and selfless reason.

The tree planter ignores the troubles of the world, the wars and the petty politics, and instead engages in an act that leads to his lasting happiness and the happiness of others; he quietly goes about his work (planting a vast forest amongst the ruins of war-torn Europe) without preamble and self-aggrandisement, instead recognising the importance of the work itself rather than the individual carrying it out: he completes a creative act worthy of God as our star struct narrator would have it.

"When you remembered that all this had sprung from the hands and the soul of this one man, without technical resources, you understood that man could be as effectual as God in other realms than that of destruction."

I see the word "God" here as a very loose term. For the narrator of the story, it is the monotheistic version of the Christian bible. But for me, and I would also argue for the tree planter, the version of God celebrated here is mother nature. It is a celebration of life and creation and all the benefits that come with it. You could argue that they are one and the same, though I feel like the act has a certain universal quality to it that can be removed from its context and used as an important and powerful allegory regardless of the creator in question.

I would also like to talk a little bit about the narrative here because it has an almost fable like quality to it. It is didacticism is evidential in how simple the story is and how much of it is handed to the reader in a neat little parcel with nothing left for the imagination. The idea behind the work is strong and clear and it is one of those books I believe has an exceedingly relevant parable to teach mankind. Nature is our healer, and salvation, that's all there is to it.

It's easy, straightforward and waiting to be read.
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