The desire to live is our greatest strength

By Anne Mukei

“But there is hope for a tree: If it is cut down, it will sprout again, and its new shoots will not fail.” Job 14: 7.

It is rare for a tree to die. Trees, like the proverbial cat, live for countless years before they eventually die. (Cats can survive falls from high places with few, if any injuries. This gives the impression that cats return to life after sustaining fatal accidents.) That is why some trees are centuries old. And even when they die, they shoot up — to live again. 

Like the cat with nine lives, a tree’s tenacity to survive is great; it shouts to the world:

I love life

I soak it like a sponge and the life in me does not dry up easily

I thrive even after a bad experience

I live and live, and will live on…

But don’t human beings share the same tenacity? The determination of the human spirit is simply astounding. I see it in myself, and I see it in others. I will be crushed for one reason or the other, but tomorrow, next week or next month, I will be up and about — like nothing tragic ever happened; like I never shed tears like a river; like I never walked around with a wounded soul.

And the physical body is even more resilient. Quick to recover, it takes its cue from the stubborn spirit, and will heal with the passage of time.

Even when a limb, say a leg is cut off, we find a way to survive without it. We make use of those sturdy crutches. And life goes on like before. Sometimes, the universe surprises us, and we live an even better life.

The tenacious spirit in human beings comes must come from their absolute desire to live. That explains why the greatest fear in most, if not all, of us is death. We are terrified by death, and will do anything to live. It is not surprising that when we sense death, we run a mile…

Like the never-dying tree, we will sprout even when others think we are about to die. We will find new growth from our innermost being, and keep going. We will pick up our broken souls and somehow nurture them to health.

The unbreakable spirit of the human soul sees that the drive to live does not easily die. For even when we think it has finally subsided, and that we want to stop living, we are just telling those around us that we need help to live one minute longer, one day longer... Because, the guileless truth is that our greatest desire is to live. And enjoy life and thrive, just like the tree does, regardless of what season it is.