The first group of scientists wanted to prove that the roots and trunk did not matter. So they brought the saplings indoors, inside giant warehouses. The roots were put in an artificial medium and fed a liquid solution of chemical nutrients. The saplings, lined up in neat rows, were under sterile industrial lights of the measured spectrum.
The second group of scientists wanted to prove that the branches and roots did not matter. They trimmed and pruned, and pruned and trimmed. And when they were finished, they trimmed and pruned some more. Though tree roots are as expansive as healthy branches, encompassing an entire ecosystem of underground microbiota, the scientists turned the ground cover into a monoculture of a thirsty grass that did little to benefit the health and diversity of the ecosystem. The trees grew isolated from the thicket of other trees, bushes, and plants they have adapted to for best growth over millennia of evolution.
The third group of scientists wanted to prove that the branches and trunk did not matter. They did not trim and prune, but rather ignored the above ground tree. They over-watered the tree, applied chemical nutrients rather than organic compost, and applied chemical pesticides and herbicides rather than working with nature through companion planting.
In the same way, the mystic, the physician, and the psycho-analyst divide the mind-body into parts and focus on only that part, often in an inappropriate, invasive, and unhealthy manner. We are whole, indivisible beings, and must grow freely, and can only thrive in the environments we have evolved to. New, artificial niches that we are forced into will not produce optimal results. Indeed, the more we try, the more we fail.
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