Dùthchas: Evolving from our Past
There is a fir grove in my yard. The newer trees have shoots that rise through the centre to the sun, and the older ones lie out to the sides, almost parallel with the ground. These older trees are vital to the survival of future generations. As they decay and return to the earth, they create the rich, biodiverse soil needed for new growth. They have served their noble purpose, and now nurture the next generation of fir to continue the path.
This past week, I was in Manchester for work, although there is certainly no croft there, a parallel circle of life was being built all around me. At every corner, at every arch and bridge, there is visual evidence of a foundation of Roman roads, beneath Victorian industry and rails, and today, stalagmites of photovoltaic shiny new skyscrapers shooting through the centre. Manchester's symbol is the bee: always working. It is not a typical tourist city, but a city that continues to nurture the young through improved housing, social construction, and economic biodiversity. Chetham's Library is a metaphor for Manchester. The first public library in the UK, it changed and evolved as a school for youth, a study centre for clerics and scholars, a hospital during wars, a jail during the civil war, even Karl Marx completed his Manifesto there - always evolving from its rich roots to be of service to Manchester's community.
What better lesson from the land can there be than serving our youth? To provide the fertile foundation they will need to continue the path in life? Indigenous communities act in ways that will provide for 7 generations. The least we can do is, like the fir, is provide the ground for the next. Think of your acts at work and at home. What type of foundation are you leaving? Are you leaving a footing that others can learn from, develop from? Or is your stratum a concrete where no new life grows? What will be your purpose as you travel the path ahead of others? What will be your contribution to the biodiversity of your community?
As George Bernard Shaw said, 'my life belongs to the whole community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatsoever I can. I want to burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations.'