A Journey to Healing: The inspiring story of a man who healed lives and bettered the world
'And so, with great care, he planted his hundred acorns'
He was called Elzéard Bouffier, a shepherd in Provence…
Then, years later, Jean Giono, so brilliantly, puts the shepherd’s story into words in an inspiring book: The Man Who Planted Trees
Plant a Tree: Healing ourselves and bettering our world
Photo:ekostories.com
‘When I reflect that one man, armed only with his own physical and moral resources, was able to cause this land of Canaan to spring from the wasteland, I am convinced that in spite of everything, humanity is admirable. But when I compute the unfailing greatness of spirit and the tenacity of benevolence that it must have taken to achieve this result, I am taken with an immense respect for that old and unlearned peasant who was able to complete a work worthy of God.’- Jean Giono
‘Jean Giono, the only son of a cobbler and a laundress, was one of France’s greatest writers. His prodigious literary output included stories, essays, poetry, plays, film scripts, translations and over thirty novels, many of which have been translated into English. Giono was a pacifist, and was twice imprisoned in France at the outset and conclusion of World War II. He remained tied to Provence and Manosque, the little city where he was born in 1895 and, in 1970, died. Giono was awarded the Prix Bretano, the Prix de Monaco (for the most outstanding collected work by a French writer), the Légion d’Honneur, and he was a member of the Académie Goncourt.’
‘In planting a tree, we plant a friend who will grow into a silent protector.’
‘The man who plants a tree plants hope.’
Photo:Allegory Explained
‘Like the narrator of the Man who planted trees, I saw human communities restored along with nature. This is not a mystical phenomenon; it is a fact of human existence. Human beings cannot thrive in a place where the natural environment has been degraded.’-– The Man Who Planted Trees
‘For a human character to reveal truly exceptional qualities, one must have the good fortune to be able to observe its performance over many years. If this performance is devoid of all egoism, if its guiding motive is unparalleled generosity, if it is absolutely certain that there is no thought of recompense and that, in addition, it has left its visible mark upon the earth, then there can be no mistake.’
‘With the opening of the third millennium, the earth is in serious trouble. Pollution is ravaging the cities. Deserts are swamping the green earth. Our forest resources are being depleted as trees continue to be felled indiscriminately. Various species are getting extinct. As a result of man's greed and callousness, less than 500 tigers remain. The leopard, the elephant and the turtle are also in dire straits.
‘The polar ice-cap is said by scientists now only to be half as thick as it was 100 years ago, and by the end of this century - nay, probably well before that - the oceans over the top of the north pole could well only freeze over during the winter months (all of which is flatly contradicted by the USA, who believe the rest of Europe is scare-mongering).
‘In such a scenario, efforts at conservation, sustainable development and global cooperation can save the earth…’- Continue to read
L’homme qui plantait des arbres: The Man Who Planted Trees
Geoffrey Platts Reads "The Man Who Planted Hope and Grew Happiness" by Jean Giono
The Man who Planted Trees- A production by Sherway Academy of Music
Our Heritage is Arboreal and interwoven with the Life of Trees, OUR BEST ALLY FOR THE CLIMATE and GOOD HEALTH
World in Chaos and Despair: The Healing Power of Trees
Spirituality and Environmentalism: Healing Ourselves and our Troubled World
Remembering the Spirit of Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai: The Woman who Planted Trees
Journey to Healing: Let Me Know What is Essential
A Happier and a more Fulfilling and Rewarding Life is Possible
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