The Mango Tree
Just eat the fucking fruit already.
A group of men went to study a mango tree. It was ordinary, except it produced these extraordinary mangoes, bringing joy to those who ate them. Other creatures were seen loving the tree too. All were happy around the tree, including the tree itself.
But the men were dissatisfied. They wanted to understand how and why the tree could make others happy. Their dissatisfaction led them to dissect the different parts of the tree, to learn its truth.
The men were specialized in their respective sciences. Each man studied the tree according to his discipline.
The Mathematician researched the leaves. There were lots of leaves to count, and more grew, and some died. He did everything he could to count the leaves, study them, categorize them, and keep up with the new growth. The age and life expectancy of the tree were calculated, and its fruit production was determined.
The Chemist studied the soil — its material, bacterial, and mineral properties. Days passed, and the soil chemistry changed. His only consistent observation was inconsistency, but he drew his conclusions regardless.
The tree perplexed the Philosopher. He created theories about it. Wondering whether the tree even existed, “A mango tree stands before me,” he thought, “Or do I stand before a mango tree?” The Philosopher discussed in his mind the true nature of the tree — connecting ideas with other ideas that would circle to the first ideas. The Philosopher continued his study using his exceptional reasoning above all else.
The Physicist studied the energy that created the tree. “Mango trees are material, and all material is just energy condensed to a slow vibration,” he thought to himself. The light, the heat, day and night cycles, the rainfall, and the wind were examined. “Different astrological alignments cause the tree to take a specific shape,” he thought. The elements were affecting its growth, and if he studied and mastered the energy creating and sustaining it — all the knowledge of the tree could be known. According to the Physicist, if enough understanding of energy, force, and matter is known, the truth will be revealed.
These four men quarreled with each other over who had the right idea of the tree’s true nature.
None of them were wrong. After all, they learned everything possible without further study. But each contradicted the other. The Philosopher could never agree with the man who spoke of “energy.” The man of energy thought the Mathematician a fool, “Who would spend all that time counting leaves?”
The Chemist couldn’t believe a philosopher would waste his time contemplating a tree when all the facts of its composition were present in the Chemist’s findings. The Mathematician counted every leaf and predicted its growth rate, how many fruits the tree would give, and the tree’s life expectancy. He thought all the others were fools, for they knew nothing of the tree’s geometrical and algebraic structure.
As the four scientists argued, they became aware of a stranger sitting beside the tree enjoying a mango. He finished his snack and spoke thus, “Gentlemen while performing your duty towards scientific truth, I have enjoyed a fruit beyond education.”
Joy surfaced from the men laughing harmoniously at the fool. “Lo! Behold a group of men in agreement. There is unity when the truth is seen; where falsehoods live, there can only be division. Set aside your theories and taste the fruit. Groups like yours have been coming here for years — with the same bickering, weeping, wailing, and righteousness. Laugh and eat together before this harvest spoils. Set aside your arguments and experience the truth this tree offers.”
Whatever “truth” philosophy offers, science will refute. These people have been bickering for thousands of years; it will never end.
Quit trying to make sense of the world. Forget examining how to enjoy life and just enjoy it. You never did this as a child; you simply enjoyed it. You cannot add joy to yourself because life itself is joy.
Remove ignorance. Return to a natural state of bliss and happiness. The world is a dazzling spectacle your five senses project as reality. Ignorance begins when we believe ourselves being different from this projection of the sensory world.
When we view ourselves as something separate from our environment, we become flag carriers and world conquerors. When our perspective changes, what then is there to conquer when we are part and parcel of all existence?
Any flag planting would be you claiming yourself; any conquering of land would be you conquering you.
Spend less time figuring out unsolvable questions. Stop picking and choosing what to enjoy and when; every moment is enjoyment.
Our rigid ideas of life furrow our brows and bind our experience to colorless ideas of duality.
The fruit waits to be eaten. Why do you enjoy the fruit? It is you experiencing life unfettered. Your ideas leave you parched. Each sip of knowledge aggravates cravings for more. Why settle for more when you can have everything? If you are unsatisfied with life, you are a beggar. You beg for satisfaction, for enjoyment, for wealth, fulfillment, power, and fame.
Stop begging. Your satisfaction exists within, but your thoughts will tell you otherwise. Intellectualizing the world will lead you from one mountain peak to another, forgetting to enjoy the view.
Life is the mango. The tree is its mother. Unity occurs when opinions cease. There is the fruit; eating it enriches you.
All you need to know is that we don’t know. Once you know that — eat the mango.
