Life Like a Plant

Ahmet was arranging the newly bought textbooks on his bookshelf while humming to himself. "Of, of, offfff! It looks like we'll live like plants this year..."

Aylin, ironing clothes, perked up her ears to her son's muttering:

- What's wrong, son? Why are you muttering to yourself?

- Mom, it's just that... from school to extra classes, then back home to study, and then again for school... Is this really how the year is going to pass? What kind of life is this? It's like being a plant, seriously...

- Living like a plant is beautiful, my son.

- Mom, are you kidding me?

- No, my dear, why would I joke? Plants have a purpose in life. I wish we could be like plants too.

Ahmet began to look at his mother with a puzzled expression... He was curious about what she would say next.

- You know, Ahmet, most people don't have a goal or a purpose in life.

- Mom, aren't goal and purpose the same thing?

- Purpose is your source of motivation, while a goal is what you do to achieve that purpose. Come and let's look outside together.

Mother and son walked towards the window to gaze at the greenness in the yard. She continued explaining:

- Trees change their colors from green to red and yellow in autumn, then smile back at us in spring with flowers and green leaves. Even the fruits and vegetables we buy from the market vary according to the seasons. Everything serves a purpose in life, just like that.

After a lively summer vacation, Ahmet found himself in the middle a tight schedule. He was not being able to transition from holiday mode to study mode, he struggled between studying and enjoying the last days of summer. His cousin had entered a good university last year. Impressed by this success, Ahmet asked how he had prepared. Following his cousin's advice, he enrolled in a tutoring center. However, he felt overwhelmed from the very first day.

Aylin understood her son's distress very well. She knew simply saying, "You need to work hard for the program you want," wouldn't work. She continued to talk about the topics Ahmet was curious about. Biology, nature, and animals had fascinated her son since childhood.

- Let's say that not only fruits and vegetables have a purpose but also autumn. Can you find its purpose?

- Autumn is the transition from summer to winter. Going from the heat of summer to the cold of winter... You know, jumping from scorching sands into cool waters... If it were June, the exams would be over, and we could go back to our summer house.

Aylin smiled at her son, who had sea holidays on his mind:

- No, it's not like that. It's not an instant jump from hot sands to cool waters. It's more like dipping your toe in gradually. Autumn exists to gradually acclimate all living beings to winter.

 

- If only they could explain these lessons gradually too...

 

- They are, my son. They started the program early to prevent you from struggling with school. What were we talking about? The seasons... The purpose of autumn...    

- Yes, the preparatory period... So, spring exists to prepare for summer from winter.

- Exactly. Both have a preparation process. They prepare for the new from the old, but in detail, they differ.

In spring, the earth prepares to shed its old layers. Seeds crack, trees bud and bloom, nature revives. Movement begins in animals too. While butterflies freely flutter around, newly born lambs romp around.

People also become cheerful and lively with spring. The better the winter, the better the summer, as heralded by spring. Human effort is similar. In a person's winter, the abundance of their summer is revealed. The hard work done during the days with less sunlight and longer nights in winter heralds the abundance of summer.

- Hmm... So, you're saying to make use of winter, right, mom? But I still don't understand the purpose of autumn. It feels to me like coming back from vacation, catching up with friends, winter shopping, a hurried rush... But why?

- Because all preparations are made before setting out on a journey; you don't prepare while on the road. So, during the winter journey, we make what we'll consume using the last fruits and vegetables of summer. Making jams, pickling, making sauces...

- So, it's like preparing for a temporary shortage that will be experienced?

- Yes, like how trees and fruits store the sunlight they'll need in winter in their roots.

- So, preparing for the university entrance exam isn't something to start in the second term, you're saying...

- Look, you've made a great deduction. So, how would you like to start on this path?

- Alright then, I'll start studying at the desk...

  

Human beings who belittle plants can learn a lot from them if they look carefully.