The Wochecha Mariam church in Addis Ababa. In a generally dry landscape, wherever you see a green circular area in Ethiopia, it is often around a Church. The Ethiopians have recognized long ago the value of trees as part of the spiritual experience of being human.
Humans and trees have had a difficult relationship over the past few tens of thousands of years, when humans started using stone tools and they discovered that, with some patience, a stone axe could take down a large tree. The age of deforestation is still ongoing, actually accelerating. It was not so long ago, in this extended time perspective, that the English landlord Jonah Barrington who lived in Ireland during the early 19th century, uttered a sentence that summarizes the ruthless kind human attitude toward trees: "Trees are stumps provided by nature for the repayment of debt." Somehow, we have created a frame of thought that sees no value in a tree until it is felled and sold on the market.
Do trees perceive the presence of humans? A good question. They have a complex and sophisticated sensory system that perceives light, chemicals, and vibrations. It may well be possible that a tree can sense a human walking nearby as a combination of sounds and smells. Does a tree like to be hugged? Some questions are beyond our understanding, but they are still worth asking. And, who knows? Can we exclude that the trees of the sacred forest around a church in Ethiopia pray to God just like humans do?
