Ever since I wrote the commentary on weeds, I’ve found myself on occasion doing an associative thought exercise. For when I wrote about the analogous nature of weeds to us humans, I found myself thinking about how weeds begin their journey. What drives them to come into this world? That’s when the subject of this commentary came to mind. Per the dictionary, the word seed has various meanings. It’s also one of those words that lend itself to being both a noun and a verb; subject and action. But the one definition for seed that most caught my attention was as follows:
A flowering plant’s unit of reproduction, capable of developing into another such plant.
Interestingly enough, this takes us to yet another word with multiple meanings: Plant. A word that vacillates between two worlds representing distinct symbols as either a quiet observer or an action of intent or growth. Thus the phrase, planting a seed of doubt, provides a somewhat captivating reference in our minds that is hard to ignore.
So from that definition of seed, we accept that it’s a unit of reproduction. And yet, to what should we ascribe the endeavor of reproduction – a plant or an action? And isn’t it wondrously connective that the meaning of plant as a verb denotes an action that, when applied to the nature of a seed, leads us to its progeny as a noun – a plant.
So I’ve been wrestling with a way to coalesce my disparate thoughts so I could understand – I could explain – what I see as the significance of seed as it relates to the whole of human nature. It was then that I realized that the key to its meaning lies in its ability to generate myths and establish subjective realities around its potential duality as a word. For when we create myths or stories, we’re planting seeds; seeds for thought, seeds for wonder, seeds for enlightenment, seeds for dissent. And whether or not these flourish or die before sprouting depends on how well those seeds have been planted. More importantly, how well they’re nurtured during that fragile phase of germination. On a tangential note (and if you may forgive my non-linear thinking), the word germination reveals yet another term that enjoys a duality of sorts. Aside from its long-standing meaning for how plants develop from seeds, its root word – germ – also has an established meaning as an initial stage from which something may develop. It wasn’t until the late 19th century that it acquired notoriety for being a microorganism, especially one which causes disease. Modern times call for modern definitions, I suppose. Once again, Nature provides all manner of knowledge and insights needed to understand the potential our world has for nurturing or destroying if we just take a moment to watch, listen, and learn.
But back to the word that got me into this mess – seed. With a focus on the non-agrarian world, more and more seeds are being planted each day that aim to choke the life out of the objective realities around us. Think of these philosophical or doctrinal seeds as having the ability to germinate over time, planting invasive weeds like half-baked theories or unfounded assumptions that would choke or possibly kill established thoughts, ideals, or beliefs unless we curtail or eliminate their growth. In Weeds, I wrote about the rights that weeds have to thrive in a garden, so long as they do so in a collaborative manner. But like any other invasive organism, some seeds bring within them the potential for germinating into a crusade that could strike out and choke all other objectives around them until they end up turning on themselves or simply dying out from a lack of direction, light, or support. These seeds of distrust, anger, deceit, or retribution, if allowed to be planted arbitrarily, could create a stifling environment that may reach far and wide, but provide little or no avenues for nourishment, peace, or understanding.
This, for me, was the subtle lesson that came to mind when taking a closer look at the dynamics of seeds. Their multifaceted significance provide food, shelter, grace, strength, and beauty. They also carry an implication of responsibility that admonishes us to be mindful of the kinds of seeds we choose to sow. For each possesses the power to expand, explore, or extinguish; it all depends on how we choose to plant them, where, and for what purpose.
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