The Giant Oak

Said the giant oak tree to the naked ground beneath him,

"No, I shall not drop any of my seeds onto your soil to start the growth of more like me. And, if a stray seed should happen to fall, I will not offer my shade to nurture the new seedling's maturity. And, if the seedling should somehow start to mature without my shade, I will not offer any of the rainwater I collect to further its healthy development. And, if there should be development without any of my rainwater, I shall do everything in my power to weaken and malnourish and eventually destroy that young tree."

So, the giant, powerful, all-consuming oak continued it's solitary existence...never knowing what it was to share, never feeling what it was to co-exist with other oaks, never realizing that, in doing so, his existence was less natural, less beautiful, and much less fulfilling.

Many many years later, as the giant oak neared the end of his existence, he wondered why the other oaks, far in the distance, similar in age to he, standing tall and grouped together, looked comparatively much younger, noticeably much healthier, and undeniably more happy.