Fruit Doesn't Fall Far

by Eric Gerard

Here in America, we are born with unwell trees in our yards. Despite our potential, we face the pestilence of 'isms' and phobias—racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, and so forth. Even if we didn't choose these trees, they're in our backyard. We can try to chop them down, ignore them and let the conditions worsen, or we can do the fearless work of caring for them so they can nourish us in return. Being racialized isn't our fault because we were born into a racist system, but undoing that work means caring for the elements we can control regardless of blame. As a young black man, I didn't choose the patriarchy, but I can do the work to change the conditions so the actions or fruit I have to offer the world aren't from an undernourished, unexamined tree.

“That is why in Emptiness,
Body, Feelings, Perceptions,
Mental Formations, and Consciousness
are not separate self-entities.

This is an excerpt from Thich Nhat Hanh's (Thay's) revision of the Heart Sutra. For those unfamiliar, this stanza captures the essence of the sutra. Especially if we note that "Emptiness" here can be defined as interdependence or inter-being, as Thay refers to it in his book The Other Shore: 
Let’s take some liberties:

That is why, in interdependence
roots, leaves, fruit, 
soil, sky, sun, water
are not separate self-entities. 

The bark, leaves, roots [tree], and soil, sun, water [non-tree]  are all parts of a tree. The tree and its elements are made of non-tree elements. On the relative level, yes, they're separate and need to be cared for as such, but ultimately they're interconnected.  All elements are directly dependent on the existence of the other. Separating and naming them is a cognitive shortcut, but at the end of the day, no soil, no fruit. 

Imagine there's a young tree in the backyard of your new house. You didn't plant it, but now you're responsible for it. You investigate the tree to decide whether to chop it down, leave it be, or work to keep it alive. You notice it has apples, but upon further inspection, there are pests, rotting fruit, decaying leaves, and the bark is peeling. You check the soil --also dry and generally unhealthy. 

If an apple fell from this tree, its seeds inherit these conditions. The seeds will be introduced to poor soil, pests, and inadequate water. That will be the environment this sapling is "born into." You decide having the tree is beneficial, so you want to care for it. To revitalize the tree, you have to tend to the elements you can control. You can't control the sun, but you can change the soil, prune dying leaves or branches, till the soil, and fertilize. To maintain the tree's optimal health, you need to continue to monitor the environment. Lack of fertilizer brings stagnant growth; black spots on leaves point to pests or nutrient deficiencies in the soil; dry soil means a thirsty tree. They’re interdependent.

Bringing this depth of interbeing and interdependence pointed out by the Heart Sutra into our everyday lives, we can take the pressure and blame off ourselves. That way we aren't too mired in racialized wounds, shame, or guilt to do the work of collective freedom from oppressive systems. Collective and Individual freedom are as interdependent as the soil is to the fruit.

“ If we can truly understand the insight that brings us to the other shore, we will be able to help bring about a collective awakening. If collectively we are liberated from our fear, we will know exactly how to live for us, for our children, and for our civilization to have a future.”
- Thay, The Other Shore