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| "Dharma in a Hammock" Photo taken by Aaron Ozuna |
The Tree of Life was a moment in time where my friends and I would take a simple hike in a local park located in Ventura, CA and always end up in the presence of an extraordinary tree. I'm not sure if that was an official name the community of Ventura referred to it as, but that is how we identified it amongst ourselves. This, to me, was nature amidst my "coming of age high school years." ...(Rough times, adolescent uncertainty)... While people defaced the tree by painting on it and writing things like, "Love the earth" on its branches, I still saw this tree to be nature among a suburban town. This is the sense of nature that people like Oscar Wilde and John Muir talk about (Not sure how I feel about their views of nature, but you feel me right?). The branches of this lively tree would make for a great seat for all of us to fit. As shown within the picture captioned, "Dharma in a Hammock," everyone found their place on the tree, not just in terms of placing our butts on something, but rather an entity that is among us, listening and growing with those who inhibit its space. If I were a child exploring the branches of the tree, I would acknowledge its "climb-ability" and strength. Coming of age, though, I saw this tree as something that should persist among generations (who knows how old it was to begin with) because of the intricate beauty and wonder this piece of nature showed humans. Early December, Ventura caught on flames. Houses in the hills were burning, families were rushing to safety, and the air was suffocated by a smoky haze. The Tree of Life was located within Arroyo Verde Park where huge fires sparked due to the dry vegetation. Due to the intensity of the flames and the lack of resistance this tree had to fire, the tree was burned to ashes. All of these memories planted by the tree are left within physical and mental pictures. When I think of coming of age at the end of nature, I think back to tree that gave life to us in many ways. Nostalgia turns to ashes, is this the end of the nature I knew?
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This week, we read some various chapters within "Coming of Age At the End Of Nature" (edited by Julie Dunlap and Susan A. Cohen) Dunlap and Cohen's combination of short stories written by numerous peoples is extremely refreshing. I say this because non-fiction short stories are just simply fun to read. Particular to this given book, ideas floating around "coming of age" and "the end of nature" are all interpreted differently among personal, intricate stories. One specifically reminds me of The Tree of Life, which was called, "An Orange County Almanac: Adventures in Suburban Ecology," by Jason M. Brown. The Orange County he knew when he was growing up is changing and as he is coming to age, he is noticing that the Eucalyptus trees he once knew are fading away. Through a deconstruction on the non-native species and an epiphany of the pros and cons of its presence in California, he comes to a realization that we need to restructure our perception of ecological restoration. He states, "...ecology is not a place- it is not a thing we have control over; ecology is the space between things, including us" (Brown, 74) When I think of how we need to bring back the ecology of Arroyo Verde Park post fire, specifically when I think of the beautiful trees that were there, Brown's ambiguous claim on ecology as a space between us intrigues me. It related back to my feelings toward The Tree of Life as an entity around us rather than a tree to sit on. If we seek to restore Arroyo Verde Park to the way it was before, are we creating a dominance over nature? How can we bring back the trees and grassy hills we once knew with giving it time to replenish itself? Do we need to be the holders of future ecological restoration post fire? These are questions I ask myself when thinking back to the nostalgic times the tree gave me. Ashes turn to fertile soil. A new beginning. Maybe among my coming of age as an early adult, I will see a new sense of ecological space between me at Arroyo.
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| "Cecilia and the Tree" Photo taken by Dharma Murphy |
P.S. I found a video of The Tree of Life on Yelp someone took:
ALSO: Someone took a picture on yelp of the "Save the Earth" spray paint on the tree:
Sources Cited:
Dunlap, Julie and Cohen, Susan A. Coming of Age at the End of Nature: A Generation Faces Living on a Changed Planet. Chapter Used: "An Orange County Almanac" by Jason M. Brown. Trinity University Press: San Antonio. 2016.
i love how you framed this piece with the tree of life.
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