A short life of joy is better than a long and selfish life

Oak trees live long and are one of the sturdiest. They can endure the worst of storms or floods. However, they have a rather peculiar trait of not letting go of their old leaves easily, whereas other trees gladly shed their old foliage to make way for the new leaves and flowers.

Some of us do the same thing. Just like an oak tree, we cling tight to our selfish desires making it harder for others to grow. We try hard to become more and more powerful and wealthier to make our life better and our legacy one to be proud of. This is not to say that money is bad. Of course, one needs to earn money for living. It makes life easier, but it’s nothing less than a sin to amass possessions beyond need, especially if it’s done for the sake of self glorification.

The truth is that just as the sturdy oak tree eventually dies and becomes a withered piece of log, so too is the fate of a man who hangs on to his desire for power and material well-being. Benjamin Jonson in The Noble Nature brings this message to light by observing that compared to an oak tree, a lily flower has an incredibly short life — it blooms just for one day and withers by night, but it’s beautiful to look at, and thus is a source of great joy.

To quote him, “It is not growing like a tree/ In bulk doth make man better be/Or standing long an oak, three hundred year/To fall a log at last, dry, bald, and sere/A lily of a day, Is fairer far in May/ Although it fall and die that night/It was the plant and flower of light/In small proportions we just beauties see/ And in short measures life may perfect be.”