A New Way of Thinking
Among the books that shaped me, there is one category that holds special meaning—books about nature. Even now, most of my bedtime reading comes from this genre. These books calm me, take me back to my origins, return me to the earth, and let me begin again.
“Every beginning means the end of waiting... Every strong tree starts as a seed that waited.”
My earliest, and most cherished, inspiration for understanding nature—and our relationship with it—came from an encounter with two books: The Tree Remembers Its Childhood and The Songs of Trees. The quote above comes from The Tree Remembers Its Childhood, which, sadly, is now out of print. I’ve always loved the writing of both authors.
“Rain is the voice of the sky, translated into many languages by whatever it touches.”
“In nature, the relationships between trees and other species are vastly more complex. Every decision made by a network is based on information from thousands of species. Compared to that, the life of a chickadee is simple. So we see: it is not just the fir tree that thinks—but the entire forest.”
The Songs of Trees taught me a new way of seeing the world—from the perspective of plants. I began to see with new eyes. And what I discovered wasn't just vegetation, but, as the author of The Tree Remembers Its Childhood once said, “a whole new way of thinking.” (When a plant grows its first true leaf, the temporary cotyledons wither. “That first true leaf is a new idea. The moment the seed takes root, its entire energy shifts toward upward growth.”)
Thanks to these beautiful and deeply thoughtful books, I began—while it’s not yet too late—to truly learn from life itself. To grow in compassion, wisdom, and a more honest understanding of who I am.
I’ve always found the term “environmentalist” a bit strange—as if there’s a group of people who are environmentalists, and others who are not. But if you live on Earth, then you live in nature. Our true home is not the house listed on our address—it’s the Earth. If you don’t believe it, try holding your breath. Our lungs only work because of trees. Shouldn’t we all be environmentalists?
“I try to imagine a new kind of environmental science. One whose foundation is not a human world with plants—but a plant world that happens to include humans.”
I hope we can find better answers to what it means to live. To me, life is the most precious thing. And in this new world we imagine, may humanity strive not for lesser things—but for the flourishing of all life.
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— Hui-Chen Li, Curator of a reader
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Time: "a reader Nature Bookstore": May 1 - end of June, 2025
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