Have you been following the sad story of the Palestinian olive trees being attacked and destroyed by Israeli settlers? Just today there are new reports of chopping, slashing and burning these innocent, food-bearing plants -- some of them very ancient. This agricultural slaughter has been going on for over a decade.
And yes, of course, I am also appalled by the human suffering in this dreadful conflict, but there is something really creepy about launching attacks on defenseless fruit trees. Perhaps this insane violence is just the latest symbol of humanity's ongoing war against the rest of nature.
For some reason we humans don't seem to realize that we are part of nature and completely dependent upon it for life. So we fail to see the suicidal nature of the destruction of our own and our children's life support systems as we continue to chop down trees, contaminate our water and food, poison our atmosphere and pollute our own bodies. Not to mention the damage we do to the bodies and habitat of other species as well.
This is truly insane behavior. As a psychotherapist, I know that if a patient came into my office who was destroying her own and her children's life support systems (suicide, child abuse), destroying the life support systems of her siblings -- humans, other animals and plants -- (homicide/fratricide/war crimes) and attacking and abusing her mother (matricide, ecocide), the law would require me to immediately report her to the police!
The cure for this insanity is care for the rest of nature. Research now shows that the very act of planting and nurturing food-bearing trees and other plants is a healing act as well as a moral imperative.