That saying by Native Americans reminds me of what we learned in science in our primary school days. We were told that there are living things and non-living things. In that trend of thought, no one would ever believe that plants can talk. In fact, we were made to believe that only human beings have a language. Other beings like animals, birds, worms and the like do not have a language. They have no language. They only make noise. Now we know that animals have their own language of communication.
As I grew up and got the kind of education that no one gets in school, I learned that my ancestors believed that everything is alive and everything talks for those who have the wisdom to listen to them. My ancestors believed that if you have inner ears and inner consciousness, you will hear the language of everything. Even the silence of the ocean and the dead silence of the forest at night is itself loud noise for those who have the ears to hear.
This brings us to that saying by Native Americans: When we listen, we shall hear the plants talk. Each plant has a message for us. Each plant has inherent meaning that has been there since the dawn of the universe. When we see the mango tree it tells us that it is carrying mangoes for our food. It is beckoning to us to respect it, care for it and preserve it. Every tree everywhere does the same.
When I was about eight years old, my grandmother asked me: Who needs the other one: You or the banana tree? In my thinking as an eight-year-old I quickly said that the banana tree needs me to care for it weed it and irrigate it. It is then she said to me: The banana tree can live without you, but you cannot live without eating its fruits. You need it, it does not need you. Then she said: Look at the forest: Humans need it, but the forest does not need humans as it has been there before any humans appeared on this earth. That was certainly an eye-opener. No one teaches you that in school.
No wonder therefore, that Native Americans say that if we listen carefully will hear the trees and shrubs talking to us and calling us. Francis of Assisi (1182-1242) says: The sun and stars are our brothers, the trees our sisters, the mountains our cousins. We should pay attention to them.
