Walking in the forest, I reflect on the blight of the spruce tree in Colorado. In many places, the spruce trees are dying in large numbers. We have seen the grey-brown patches of forest dissolve into larger and larger areas of decay and then spread to swallow entire spruce forests...forests dead because of a native beetle that has in the past with help from the fungi lived in harmony with the spruce. One theory is that drought years compromised the balance between the tree, fungi, and beetle. The fungi became a feeding ground for the beetle. The beetle overpowers the spruce and kills it. Scientist point to climate change as a major cause - increased temperatures and less snow melt.
Today’s hike, we meander through a forest with only a few decaying spruce. These spruce are living in a forest ecosystem with a mosaic of trees - spruce, aspen, pine, poplar…because there are different species of trees in this forest the beetle’s impact is diminished. The forest is healthier and stronger because of the diversity in its species.
I thought about the forest and the reality of the world I live in. We want optimism, but we cannot let our optimism be `obscured by not fully seeing the blight of the world as well. We have become an uncooperative society. We are not supporting each other in our communities. We live in a world that will avoid or even reject people different from us or our norms or culture. We do not embrace differences. We are not a society that can laude inclusion. We are an exclusive society. We desire others to change to be like us. We are a society without stories of reconciliation and forgiveness. We are a society of power and powerless. We are a society of anger, hate, and prejudices. Our spiritual places of worship teach us to love thy church member but not everyone outside the church doors. Our schools are still segregated on the inside by academics and test scores. The reality of the blight is here. With this reality, there is often sadly only despair. To work to find balance with optimism…it is essential we find ways to reconcile and forgive, model peacemaking, conflict resolution, and deescalation strategies…Move beyond our fears, attachments, projections and confusions. Look for opportunities to respect one another and allow for unique differences and stories. Because, like the mosaic of trees in the forest, we are stronger together in our diversity.