Alone And Alive

A plant grows on the edge of the roof 
and looks like everything's fine. 
Its name is not clearly identified 
unless one goes very near
​to distinguish the leaves. 

A Lonely Plant Stands On The Edge Of The Roof

The birds must have eaten some seeds 
and through their droppings, 
the seeds fell on the edge with very little dust 
​or soil to grow on.
​And remarkably,
some seed has sprouted and grown
and is standing there all alone.
No one can tell how long it will live
or how big or tall it will grow.
But it has already proven its power to survive
at least for the time this image was snapped.

The plant growing alone on the edge of the roof
is a testament to surviving alone
in harsh or unfriendly conditions
and an inspiration for humans to endure the same.
The plant seems to be doing good 
but as one looks closely
it has no clue what the coming days bring.
Clearly it's not tough enough 
to resist strong winds and heavy rains.
A heavy downpour coupled with forceful winds
especially during bad or stormy weather
could easily wash it down the gutter.
And if a bird lands onto one of its little branches,
it could break or topple it down.
But if it was growing among many other plants,
it could withstand the forces of nature
for together they could lessen the impact. 

This plant is like a lonely man
​who looks fine to everyone
but is really in great trouble every time.
He doesn't have anyone to turn to 
when he needs help
and nobody beside him to be his partner.
He can't be courageous enough
to face the challenges
unlike when somebody else keeps him company.
He may think he's doing good all alone
but is really in a bad situation.
The journey through life is hard and long and winding
and anyone traveling solo will unlikely make it.
He will easily give up
for he will get bored and uninspired.
He will become weary and worn out
and he will be discouraged.

A Closer Look At The Plant On The Edge Of The Roof

Two is better than one
and together they become stronger.
They can help each other fight
and not easily be conquered.
When one falls down,
the other can help him stand back up.
When one fights his opponent upfront,
the other can join in or guard his back.
One will never have to worry or be sad
because somebody's there
to cheer him up and make him smile.
And he will never be afraid when trouble comes
because somebody stands by him.
But no one can do it by himself when all alone.
Unless he is perfect,
there's no way he will be able.

They say "No man is an island"
but remarkably these days,
some street people are living alone,
like the little plant on the edge of the roof,
and away from everybody else
with no family, relatives and friends.
Often roaming around the streets and secluded places
in the cities and provinces,
they know how to get through life
without looking for anybody's company or help.
They make ends meet day to day
scavenging garbage and leftovers
and they don't seem to care about being alone.
And all they care about is
they have survived for quite some time
so why bother looking for someone else? 

They may have been abandoned by their poor families
who couldn't afford to raise them
and in time,
learned to survive on their own 
by begging and scavenging.
Living a life of poverty and misery,
they developed a sense of unworthiness
that they don't feel deserving to be loved and cared for
that's why they shy away
feeling very low and unimportant. 

Well,
it's clear they have been alive for years,
but certainly not living the ideal life.
A life of comfort and happiness 
is not painted in their faces.
They are long-suffering from hunger and thirst,
and unable to find a place to call home.
They naturally avoid crowd of people
and slip in some corner to hide.
They don't even know the importance of family
for they don't even have it in the first place.
Some friends may come and keep company
but these don't stay for long
for they are also after their own welfare
and they don't know how to care for other people.
They are just like them - 
poor, miserable and abandoned
with no family to call their own. 

But for some or few people, 
living alone is an ideal life 
for they are called to live a life of righteousness, 
being religious and pious 
and always serving the church 
or attending the Holy Masses everyday of their lives. 
They are not really alone and don't rely on their own 
because they are living with God 
and relying on His goodness and blessings. 
They have family and friends too 
​and they don't rely shy away from people 
and it's just that their time is mostly spent on prayer, 
meditation, reflection, going to the church, etc. 

Most people were created
to belong to a family,
​a friend or a loved one here on earth
like Adam who was not left alone by God
but created Eve to be his partner and wife.
And whether they believe it or not,
they already belong to a one big family in the universe
with the Maker as the Father Almighty for all humans.
Fellow humans may not care for them,
but certainly God will.
If only they develop a religious life,
and pour their hearts out to Him every moment,
then they will be taken out of misery
and their lives will improve.
And if they learn to open their eyes
to see the beauty of creation around,
then they will realize the overflowing love of God 
and will appreciate life to its fullness
even when not a single human cares for them.
They will accept His purposes
and they will learn to be patient and uncomplaining.
They will come to understand their poverty
as God's way of teaching them 
about forgetting worldly wealth
and concentrating on Heavenly riches. 

Rich people can learn from the miseries of poverty
by observing the lives of the poor
that's why they have to thank God at all times
by being kind and generous to them.
Poor people will become rich and live happier lives
when they rely on God with all their heart and soul
and become hopeful and persistent
while rich people will become poor and miserable
when all they depend on 
is their worldly wealth and riches
and don't care about the poor around them.