I have this weird idea

From reading The Giving Tree when I was little

That trees like to be spoken to, 

Played with, 

And climbed on. 

They want to be treated like an individual, and interacted with in a meaningful way

Rather than just treated as some abstract symbol called “tree.”

While missing its unique individual Beingness entirely. 

I wonder how climbing trees

Starting to treat them as the incredibly unique individuals that they are

And figuring out how to interact and play with each

Will affect my ability to do the same with humans…

Rather than tossing them all in different “symbolic buckets”

“Liberal” “Republican” “Lower than me” “Higher than me” “Dumb” “Smart” “Interesting” “Boring”

The symbolic bucket replacing the human’s intrinsically unique Beingness

And becoming a purgatory fit for no living being.