The flowers and fruits !

Many flowers in the cashew tree, but only few fruits ! That is the pattern in some fruit bearing trees. Each flower in such trees shall to become a fruit! 

I have gathered that yield of fruits can be increased by timely modification of the soil environment by adding fruit yielding enrichment of soil with nutrients. 

The Rambutan trees in our garden are now in the stage of flowering. Our gardener has been supplementing the trees with nutrients to increase the yield of fruits. The language used in farming circles to describe this activity is- more 'conversion from flowers to fruits'! 

The human side of  this phenomenon, is  how much we go out of our primary orbit of being to become mindful or useful for others ! It is not enough to be an achiever with credentials ! The credibility of a person is dependent on how much that person is a giver rather than only a taker! 

Symbolically flowers and fruits have a common purpose- they are the gifts of a plant or a tree to others. 

A fruit bears the seed in the cashew tree. The fruit therefore is the means to be 'fruitful' with new saplings from the seed.

To be fruitful would therefore be is all about self giving !

I happened to hear the life experience of a neighbour whose brother and mother have been in the hospital for a few weeks now with organ failure. He recalled how neighbours rallied around to support the families in a significant way. He talked about the surpassing ways that the neighbours offered help at a difficult time ! 

That sounded to me as neighbours becoming 'fruitful' to a suffering family. 

To be 'flowers and fruits' for others is an opportunity. That brings in to being our inherent connectedness and fraternity! 

When we carry within us an urge for promoting wellness of others,  we live our lives as 'flowers and fruits' to others! 

M.C Mathew (text and photo)