The painting of a flower, lush and inviting reminds us of beauty, of what is real. Yet, it is not simply an imagined scene—it is the result of someone’s gaze, someone’s interpretation of a living thing, an act of capturing the essence of the world as they saw it. But the painting, no matter how masterful, is still just an image, a reflection of reality, not reality itself.
Now, consider the real flower. It blooms in the earth, its petals touched by the sun and shaped by the wind. It exists in its own right, a physical manifestation of nature’s artful power. But as beautiful as it is, it too can only tell a part of the story, can only be experienced through our senses.
What if the true act of becoming— more real, more deeply alive—requires us to go beyond simply observing, beyond just what we see or feel? Just as the artist brings the real flower to lifej through their brushstrokes, we too must come together, share our truths, and listen in a way that transcends our own individual experiences.
Only through exchange, through deeply hearing and truly understanding one another, can we become one in the garden of life, flourishing together beyond what we are individually.
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