The Title

The trees that grow highest into the sky must first have grown the deepest roots.

That’s some variation of some proverb or quote by some revered culture or thinker. But I’m going to attribute the sentiment to my high school English teacher, Robert C. Miles.

It’s about self-reflection, turning inward, examining the “base” of human existence, before striving for the superficial accomplishments that often grab people’s attention.

Or it’s about stability. As in, a tree needs a broad network of roots before it can reach great heights. A human needs a broad network of family, friends and experiences before becoming great.

Or maybe it’s just about trees. Maybe some guy dug up a really big tree and dug up a really small tree and noticed that the bigger tree had more roots than the smaller tree. Maybe he then made the statement that the bigger tree had more roots that extended deeper into the ground than the smaller tree and its roots. Maybe the statement is void of any metaphorical meaning.

Regardless, I think the above statement (like the first sentence, not the next four paragraphs of bullshit) might have inspire T.S. Elliot when he wrote this section of The Wasteland:

           

There I saw one I knew, and stopped him, crying “Stetson!      

You who were with me in the ships at Mylae!     

That corpse you planted last year in your garden,          

Has it begun to sprout? Will it bloom this year? 

Or has the sudden frost disturbed its bed?        

Oh keep the Dog far hence, that’s friend to men,          

Or with his nails he’ll dig it up again!       

You! hypocrite lecteur!—mon semblable,—mon frère!”

Welcome to Stetson’s Garden. We plant human beings and see what grows. I’m planting myself to see what evil flower grows from my plot.

Or maybe I’m just digging a hole in the dirt.