“Beware the Ides of March”. When I lived in Boca Raton, I would become very apprehensive in the early part of March. I really loved my Mango tree, and March was when the brand new little fruit was subjected to the strong winds of spring. I was not willing to lose any of the precious fruit from that tree. The fruit was very vulnerable to the winds because of what I thought was the tree's faulty design by its Creator. Before the fruit begins to form, there is a lengthening of each branch forming what would become the placenta for each mango. Those extensions would reach a length of twelve inches or more, a seemingly too generous dimension. But, as always, what appears to be a mistake in nature is a well-designed system able to act with other natural systems in the Universe.
Here's the way it works, and what I learned from watching this incredible life cycle development. In February, the blossoms appear on the ends of these long extensions. Bees and birds provide the required pollination. As each fruit develops, it looks like a small green pea attached to the tip of each whip-like placenta. During the remainder of February, the size and weight of the fruit increases. When they have grown to about an inch or two in diameter, they are heavy enough to pull at the placenta so that it hangs straight down. At this point, it looks like a Christmas tree adorned with pretty little green balls hanging from long strings. That's when I would begin to look forward to the very large harvest I would be enjoying in July. It was so exciting to anticipate the hundreds of delicious mangoes that I was going to enjoy eating. Before that pleasure, I first had to learn a lesson about mango trees, the Universal plan and a major lesson about life itself.
When the March winds arrived, the small fruits were very vulnerable to the whipping action designed into their lengthy placentas. It seemed awful to me that those fruits should be placed in such an untenable situation. Out there, somewhat helpless, they were confronted with a very harsh challenge. I felt so helpless as I watched the "uncaring", "unfeeling" wind stripping the small, helpless fruit from the ends of their placentas. So many were lost. My dream of an enormous harvest would become dimmer. I noticed, however, that the long placentas themselves were able to remain intact. They were made strong enough to survive the strongest gusts while the still undeveloped fruit they held were torn away from their flailing tips. How could a tree be so poorly designed? To have to face those harsh March winds hanging from a long whip-like tail seemed to doom all of the fruit to certain abortion. But, it wasn’t. Many of the mangoes would survive.
Eventually, I was able to understand that I'd been witnessing another one of Nature's incredible miracles. The tree is designed perfectly for facing those March winds. The tree "knew" about those winds. It could anticipate it's own future. It knew that at full growth, each of its fruits would weigh a pound or more. It knew to make the placentas long enough to whip off only those fruits that would not survive development. The placentas were made strong enough to survive any gust so that they would remain able to hold and nourish the fully developed, heavy fruit. This whole process is part of the tree's life plan. It was able to produce a controlled environment that would allow its healthy fruit to survive while conserving its strength by eliminating the fruit that was weak. The tree had to maintain its own strength for its own survival - the purpose of life itself.
What a design! The tree, the fruit, the birds, the bees, the wind and all the time - the tree knew all of this. This process of pruning takes place in all living things. It is not just about evolution or the "strong surviving". Even Darwin would have preferred, "nurturing of the healthy". But there is more to it than that. There is something that is more planned, something that is more spiritual, something that indicates the existence of a truly "Grand Design". It's the fulfilling of a universal promise. It’s a promise that there will always be trees; that they will interact with the birds, the bees, the wind and me. We are a part of this Grand Design. It is quite natural that there be a similar process at work during our own life cycle.
This idea of “pruning” is an important part of our human growth and development. It is my belief that in order to fulfill our promise to our lives, it is necessary for us to improve ourselves and to develop as a person. I believe this to be our entire purpose for being alive. Improving ourselves begins with first accepting the notion that we are the source for our own comfort and serenity. What we think, what we have come to believe and the habits we have become addicted to will determine the quality of our lives.
The process of improving our lot in life must also include some serious introspection. Consider the following thoughts one might consider during introspection: “Is the way I think bringing me problems?” “I’ve always responded in a certain way to this or that – I always get the same grief – maybe I shouldn’t react that way” “I worry about a lot of stuff – much of it never happens – and I don’t feel good when I worry – it may not be worth it” “George drives me nuts! – No, it looks like I’m allowing George to make me feel bad – I am the one who decides how I want to feel, not George - why do I do that?”
The process of improving our lot in life must also include some serious introspection. Consider the following thoughts one might consider during introspection: “Is the way I think bringing me problems?” “I’ve always responded in a certain way to this or that – I always get the same grief – maybe I shouldn’t react that way” “I worry about a lot of stuff – much of it never happens – and I don’t feel good when I worry – it may not be worth it” “George drives me nuts! – No, it looks like I’m allowing George to make me feel bad – I am the one who decides how I want to feel, not George - why do I do that?”
As you can see, any “pruning” that has to be done, will be done in our minds. It is there where we accumulate an abundance of irrational thoughts and ideas. Those thoughts are just like the fruit on my Mango tree. Many of them are not healthy enough to be allowed to continue. Why? Because many of these thoughts do not serve us well. We soon learn that it is the way we think and believe about things that will create most of our life’s reality. The anger we might feel toward another person or our harsh judging of them inflicts much more pain than we realize. Our own thoughts and resulting actions take their toll on us, as well. The stress we experience from such thoughts makes us more vulnerable to diseases and accidents. That alone should be an indication to us that we need to do some pruning and to make better choices.
Our "March winds" are the trials and the crises we face, as we grow older. Some of those ideas and beliefs will not survive the test of a particular crisis. As they are stripped away, we may experience a sense of loss, or even pain, but there is such a wonderful payoff for us. Somehow, with the pruning, new and healthier thoughts grow. These improved ways of thinking allow us to grow stronger and help us to survive. These life crises are actually the catalysts for growth and development.
They are the life storms that seem so harsh, so uncaring, yet are also part of a larger plan. Like the March winds testing my mangoes, we are tested through many springs. Eventually, we understand the incredible miracle of life that we are living - we submit ourselves to the plan - and we grow.
They are the life storms that seem so harsh, so uncaring, yet are also part of a larger plan. Like the March winds testing my mangoes, we are tested through many springs. Eventually, we understand the incredible miracle of life that we are living - we submit ourselves to the plan - and we grow.
