You know the whole Tumblr trope that "humans will pack-bond with anything"? There's a lot of truth to that. As a species we are capable of incredible amounts of empathy, both toward other humans and toward other species as well. We even care for abiotic things like Roombas, cars, and little robots traversing the quiet slopes of Mars.
So it doesn't surprise me at all that the owners of the land where this centuries-old oak tree--Heritage Tree #19--live are giving it a celebration of life. The tree must be cut down according to Portland city officials due to an extensive fungal infection that has weakened its base and made it more likely to fall down in a storm.
Just once, I want to see us be able to look at a positive without immediately leaping to the negatives. Yes, I can think of a thousand different ways in which our species has fallen short in the realm of empathy, to include the history of the state of Oregon itself and all the devastation that this tree has seen in its ~300 years. But we also need to be able to balance that out with reminders that we are not entirely destructive and without feeling.
Sometimes we need to just focus on the positives for a bit, give our brains a break from the constant bad news, so that we can replenish our resilience. I know from hard experience that when all you look at is the bad stuff, it takes a lot more out of you and wears you down. There's a lot of room between being hyper-focused on what's wrong and needs fixing, and blithely ignoring everything bad in lieu of "only good vibes". You aren't engaging in toxic positivity if you allow yourself to just appreciate something kind in this world without compulsively pointing out all the wrong circumstances surrounding it.
Sometimes self-care looks like fighting, but sometimes self-care looks like setting down one's weapons for a while and appreciating what's to be saved. That some of us would be willing to acknowledge the impending loss of a non-human living being in such a bittersweet way is a reminder to me that, as Tolkien, wrote through Samwise Gamgee, "There's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for."
(By the way--those of you in the Portland area who'd like to attend the public celebration of life for this tree? It's at 1815 N Humboldt St, Portland, OR 97217 from 12pm - 5pm today, Oct. 6.)
