My Apple Tree

 

The other day, I came across a quote on campus. I don’t know if it was new, or if I had just never seen it before: “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.”

On the plaque, the quote was attributed to Martin Luther, the protestant reformer. A bit of googling suggests that Martin Luther didn’t actually say this, and it first showed up in the German Church as they were opposing the Nazi Regime in the ’40s, which actually adds a lot of power to that statement: the people who said it were not facing mere inconveniences. They were looking into the face of death.

I think I really needed to read that. Even though right now I have the clearest goals I have ever had, the world keeps throwing obstacles and crossroads in places where I didn’t expect. I am not facing the level of hardship that the 1940s German church did, not by a long shot. But current events have made me question going to college, quite a lot.

Should I even be taking classes on campus this year, given the risk?

If I’m on campus, what precautions should I take?

Should I even be taking precautions, or should I throw caution to the wind and live life as normally as possible?

What’s the point, if the school winds up with a COVID outbreak and I end up taking classes remotely again?

Maybe I should have taken a semester off. There are other things I could be doing. Maybe it would be more productive to work this fall.

Coming across the quote made me reframe those thoughts. No matter how uncertain the future, it is always worth it to invest in the long-term. The quote doesn’t mention planting cilantro, which comes up in a few weeks and is nearly impossible to kill. Apple trees are a much more tricky business, taking years to bear fruit, if they ever do.

Similarly, college is an investment in the future, and a temporary drain on my time, energy, money, and overall ability to do other things. It doesn’t produce a lot of tangible benefits in the short-term. And during a turbulent time, it might not seem worth it.

But even if I never see the fruit of this tree I am planting, even if I never achieve my goals, even if this attempt at higher education ends in utter failure, it was worth it, because I planted something. And just the act of planting something is going to change me for the better, as well as improve the way I interact with those around me. Learning is never wasted. Hard work builds character, even if it achieves nothing else.

There are those who need to step back from their long-term work right now, for health reasons, or financial needs. But the only reason I would step back from my long-term work is fear of the future, and the quote reminded me why that is foolish.

Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree. 

I don’t know what the future holds for those in medical or medical-adjacent professions. That’s okay. I don’t know what the future holds for this and future semesters. That’s okay. I don’t know what the future holds, and I need to be okay with that. I can’t put my faith in the future. I never should have.

I shouldn’t undertake long-term projects for the sake of the future. I should undertake long-term projects for the value in those projects. I shouldn’t have faith in the future, but in the things that bear fruit.

This was also posted on my blog. For more college-related posts, go to https://amateuradvising.blogspot.com/.

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  1. Seawriter Contributor
    Seawriter
    @Seawriter

    “Look, one day I had gone to a little village. An old grandfather of ninety was busy planting an almond tree. ‘What, grandfather!’ I exclaimed. ‘Planting an almond tree?’ And he, bent as he was, turned around and said: ‘My son, I carry on as if I should never die.’” ― Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek

    The old grandfather has something there. 

    • #1
  2. Dill Inactive
    Dill
    @Dill

    Seawriter (View Comment):

    “Look, one day I had gone to a little village. An old grandfather of ninety was busy planting an almond tree. ‘What, grandfather!’ I exclaimed. ‘Planting an almond tree?’ And he, bent as he was, turned around and said: ‘My son, I carry on as if I should never die.’” ― Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek

    The old grandfather has something there.

    Maybe that’s part of the origins of the apple tree quote. That’s another good one!

    • #2
  3. Seawriter Contributor
    Seawriter
    @Seawriter

    Dill (View Comment):

    Seawriter (View Comment):

    “Look, one day I had gone to a little village. An old grandfather of ninety was busy planting an almond tree. ‘What, grandfather!’ I exclaimed. ‘Planting an almond tree?’ And he, bent as he was, turned around and said: ‘My son, I carry on as if I should never die.’” ― Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek

    The old grandfather has something there.

    Maybe that’s part of the origins of the apple tree quote. That’s another good one!

    I first read Zorba the Greek (in English translation) back in the 1970s, probably when I was near your age.  My dad was still re-reading it in his 90s (in the original Greek).

    • #3
  4. CarolJoy, Thread Hijacker Coolidge
    CarolJoy, Thread Hijacker
    @CarolJoy

    You seem wise beyond your years, and I cannot wait to see the “older you” unfold.

    • #4
  5. Dill Inactive
    Dill
    @Dill

    CarolJoy, Thread Hijacker (View Comment):

    You seem wise beyond your years, and I cannot wait to see the “older you” unfold.

    Thank you!

    • #5
  6. Dill Inactive
    Dill
    @Dill

    Seawriter (View Comment):

    Dill (View Comment):

    Seawriter (View Comment):

    “Look, one day I had gone to a little village. An old grandfather of ninety was busy planting an almond tree. ‘What, grandfather!’ I exclaimed. ‘Planting an almond tree?’ And he, bent as he was, turned around and said: ‘My son, I carry on as if I should never die.’” ― Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek

    The old grandfather has something there.

    Maybe that’s part of the origins of the apple tree quote. That’s another good one!

    I first read Zorba the Greek (in English translation) back in the 1970s, probably when I was near your age. My dad was still re-reading it in his 90s (in the original Greek).

    I will look into it. Seems like a good read!

    • #6
  7. WillowSpring Member
    WillowSpring
    @WillowSpring

    I have the literal, not metaphorical problem with Apple trees.  We live on an old farm (main house dates to 1803) and this year, have had about 4 Apple trees die out of a small orchard of maybe 10 trees.  They will need to be cut down and I am arranging that today.  

    The next issue is to plant new trees.  At 73, I am pretty sure I won’t be here to enjoy them when they are in full fruit, but someone in the past planted the old ones and I have enjoyed them (along with the birds, squirrels and deer).  I don’t see any choice but to pass the favor on.

    • #7
  8. Dill Inactive
    Dill
    @Dill

    WillowSpring (View Comment):

    I have the literal, not metaphorical problem with Apple trees. We live on an old farm (main house dates to 1803) and this year, have had about 4 Apple trees die out of a small orchard of maybe 10 trees. They will need to be cut down and I am arranging that today.

    The next issue is to plant new trees. At 73, I am pretty sure I won’t be here to enjoy them when they are in full fruit, but someone in the past planted the old ones and I have enjoyed them (along with the birds, squirrels and deer). I don’t see any choice but to pass the favor on.

    How much work is involved in planting an apple tree? I have several neighbors who have them (and it seems they are a bit of a struggle to maintain, given that the neighbor’s goat killed one off pretty easily), but does it just involve putting apple seeds or a sapling in the ground and waiting for a tree to grow?

    • #8
  9. PHCheese Inactive
    PHCheese
    @PHCheese

    I read today that 10 times the number of college age people will die of alcohol related issues than COVID this fall. Go for it.

    • #9
  10. Gossamer Cat Coolidge
    Gossamer Cat
    @GossamerCat

    Thank you for the lovely quote and post.  I wish you the best of luck.

    • #10
  11. Gossamer Cat Coolidge
    Gossamer Cat
    @GossamerCat

    Dill (View Comment):

    WillowSpring (View Comment):

    I have the literal, not metaphorical problem with Apple trees. We live on an old farm (main house dates to 1803) and this year, have had about 4 Apple trees die out of a small orchard of maybe 10 trees. They will need to be cut down and I am arranging that today.

    The next issue is to plant new trees. At 73, I am pretty sure I won’t be here to enjoy them when they are in full fruit, but someone in the past planted the old ones and I have enjoyed them (along with the birds, squirrels and deer). I don’t see any choice but to pass the favor on.

    How much work is involved in planting an apple tree? I have several neighbors who have them (and it seems they are a bit of a struggle to maintain, given that the neighbor’s goat killed one off pretty easily), but does it just involve putting apple seeds or a sapling in the ground and waiting for a tree to grow?

    I learned that apple seeds and acorns don’t breed true, that is, you can plant an apple seed from a delicious apple and get tasteless apples.  That is why grafting is the preferred method I believe.

    • #11
  12. PHCheese Inactive
    PHCheese
    @PHCheese

    I went to a local park yesterday that was once a plantation. There is a 600 yard of live oak trees on either side of the road to where the plantation house once stood. The trees were said to be planted around 1820. They are huge, maybe 100 ft tall by 120 ft in circumference. There is on one side a gap where one either died or was somehow lost. A sapling has recently been planted . I am taller than it. Whoever planted it was very optimistic. It’s said live oaks grow for 100 years, live for 100 years and take at least 100 years to die.

    • #12
  13. Dill Inactive
    Dill
    @Dill

    PHCheese (View Comment):

    I read today that 10 times the number of college age people will die of alcohol related issues than COVID this fall. Go for it.

    Oh, yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised at all. But I wonder if the same irresponsibility that causes alcohol abuse will result in a massive number of COVID cases. I don’t want to spread it to vulnerable people, or have to miss weeks of school in quarantine, or start a new semester only for campus to shut down again. (I know some people who have taken a bet that in person classes aren’t going to last longer than three or four weeks.)

    Even so, that’s an encouraging statistic. Well, not encouraging that so many people are dying due to preventable causes, but encouraging that covid deaths are rare enough that alcohol issues, which I think are usually newsworthy deaths, are more common. 

     

    • #13
  14. Dill Inactive
    Dill
    @Dill

    Gossamer Cat (View Comment):

    Dill (View Comment):

    WillowSpring (View Comment):

    I have the literal, not metaphorical problem with Apple trees. We live on an old farm (main house dates to 1803) and this year, have had about 4 Apple trees die out of a small orchard of maybe 10 trees. They will need to be cut down and I am arranging that today.

    The next issue is to plant new trees. At 73, I am pretty sure I won’t be here to enjoy them when they are in full fruit, but someone in the past planted the old ones and I have enjoyed them (along with the birds, squirrels and deer). I don’t see any choice but to pass the favor on.

    How much work is involved in planting an apple tree? I have several neighbors who have them (and it seems they are a bit of a struggle to maintain, given that the neighbor’s goat killed one off pretty easily), but does it just involve putting apple seeds or a sapling in the ground and waiting for a tree to grow?

    I learned that apple seeds and acorns don’t breed true, that is, you can plant an apple seed from a delicious apple and get tasteless apples. That is why grafting is the preferred method I believe.

    Oh, right! I’ve heard that before. 

    • #14
  15. WillowSpring Member
    WillowSpring
    @WillowSpring

    Dill (View Comment):
    How much work is involved in planting an apple tree?

    Other than grinding out the stumps where I would like them to go, I don’t think very much.  You would need to select varieties.  I was surprised to find that our small orchard had several different varieties that ripened at different times.

    The problem is in the maintenance.  They should be pruned correctly (and ours had obviously been ignored for years) and if you don’t want worms and such, a spraying regime is required.  My grandfather had several large peach orchards and my impression as a kid was that the work just kept on going to be able to harvest market ready peaches.

    On the other hand, the deer, birds and squirrels don’t seem to be too picky

    • #15
  16. Dill Inactive
    Dill
    @Dill

    WillowSpring (View Comment):

    Dill (View Comment):
    How much work is involved in planting an apple tree?

    Other than grinding out the stumps where I would like them to go, I don’t think very much. You would need to select varieties. I was surprised to find that our small orchard had several different varieties that ripened at different times.

    The problem is in the maintenance. They should be pruned correctly (and ours had obviously been ignored for years) and if you don’t want worms and such, a spraying regime is required. My grandfather had several large peach orchards and my impression as a kid was that the work just kept on going to be able to harvest market ready peaches.

    On the other hand, the deer, birds and squirrels don’t seem to be too picky

    Those and the goats were the main consumers of my neighbors’ apples. I probably only ate a few local apples each year. 

    • #16
  17. Headedwest Coolidge
    Headedwest
    @Headedwest

    Gossamer Cat (View Comment)

    I learned that apple seeds and acorns don’t breed true, that is, you can plant an apple seed from a delicious apple and get tasteless apples. That is why grafting is the preferred method I believe.

    Gee, I always thought that Delicious apples were all tasteless. You mean some of them have some flavor?

    • #17
  18. Dill Inactive
    Dill
    @Dill

    Headedwest (View Comment):

    Gossamer Cat (View Comment)

    I learned that apple seeds and acorns don’t breed true, that is, you can plant an apple seed from a delicious apple and get tasteless apples. That is why grafting is the preferred method I believe.

    Gee, I always thought that Delicious apples were all tasteless. You mean some of them have some flavor?

    Seconded. The green, yellow, and mottled ones are so much better.

    • #18
  19. PHCheese Inactive
    PHCheese
    @PHCheese

    Dill (View Comment):

    PHCheese (View Comment):

    I read today that 10 times the number of college age people will die of alcohol related issues than COVID this fall. Go for it.

    Oh, yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised at all. But I wonder if the same irresponsibility that causes alcohol abuse will result in a massive number of COVID cases. I don’t want to spread it to vulnerable people, or have to miss weeks of school in quarantine, or start a new semester only for campus to shut down again. (I know some people who have taken a bet that in person classes aren’t going to last longer than three or four weeks.)

    Even so, that’s an encouraging statistic. Well, not encouraging that so many people are dying due to preventable causes, but encouraging that covid deaths are rare enough that alcohol issues, which I think are usually newsworthy deaths, are more common.

     

    When I was in my twenties and thirties I got the flu nearly every year. It seems COVID is not serious in young people.

    • #19
  20. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    Dill (View Comment):

    WillowSpring (View Comment):

    I have the literal, not metaphorical problem with Apple trees. We live on an old farm (main house dates to 1803) and this year, have had about 4 Apple trees die out of a small orchard of maybe 10 trees. They will need to be cut down and I am arranging that today.

    The next issue is to plant new trees. At 73, I am pretty sure I won’t be here to enjoy them when they are in full fruit, but someone in the past planted the old ones and I have enjoyed them (along with the birds, squirrels and deer). I don’t see any choice but to pass the favor on.

    How much work is involved in planting an apple tree? I have several neighbors who have them (and it seems they are a bit of a struggle to maintain, given that the neighbor’s goat killed one off pretty easily), but does it just involve putting apple seeds or a sapling in the ground and waiting for a tree to grow?

    We have had an extremely dry summer. I have been carrying water to a tulip poplar I planted five years ago. I planted a whole bunch of other trees, too, but that’s the only one that survived the dry spells we had.  It’s not that we have a shortage of trees on our acreage, but I’ve never had a tulip poplar before. 

    • #20
  21. Dill Inactive
    Dill
    @Dill

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    Dill (View Comment):

    WillowSpring (View Comment):

    I have the literal, not metaphorical problem with Apple trees. We live on an old farm (main house dates to 1803) and this year, have had about 4 Apple trees die out of a small orchard of maybe 10 trees. They will need to be cut down and I am arranging that today.

    The next issue is to plant new trees. At 73, I am pretty sure I won’t be here to enjoy them when they are in full fruit, but someone in the past planted the old ones and I have enjoyed them (along with the birds, squirrels and deer). I don’t see any choice but to pass the favor on.

    How much work is involved in planting an apple tree? I have several neighbors who have them (and it seems they are a bit of a struggle to maintain, given that the neighbor’s goat killed one off pretty easily), but does it just involve putting apple seeds or a sapling in the ground and waiting for a tree to grow?

    We have had an extremely dry summer. I have been carrying water to a tulip poplar I planted five years ago. I planted a whole bunch of other trees, too, but that’s the only one that survived the dry spells we had. It’s not that we have a shortage of trees on our acreage, but I’ve never had a tulip poplar before.

    Had to google Tulip Poplar. How pretty!

    • #21
  22. WillowSpring Member
    WillowSpring
    @WillowSpring

    The Reticulator (View Comment):
    We have had an extremely dry summer. I have been carrying water to a tulip poplar I planted five years ago. I planted a whole bunch of other trees, too, but that’s the only one that survived the dry spells we had. It’s not that we have a shortage of trees on our acreage, but I’ve never had a tulip poplar before. 

    We have a very large – maybe 3 feet in diameter – Tulip Poplar up by our house along the driveway.  They are pretty interesting, but drop a lot of sap during parts of the year.  You will learn not to park under it!

    • #22
  23. The Reticulator Member
    The Reticulator
    @TheReticulator

    WillowSpring (View Comment):

    The Reticulator (View Comment):
    We have had an extremely dry summer. I have been carrying water to a tulip poplar I planted five years ago. I planted a whole bunch of other trees, too, but that’s the only one that survived the dry spells we had. It’s not that we have a shortage of trees on our acreage, but I’ve never had a tulip poplar before.

    We have a very large – maybe 3 feet in diameter – Tulip Poplar up by our house along the driveway. They are pretty interesting, but drop a lot of sap during parts of the year. You will learn not to park under it!

    I planted it out in the middle of our old pasture, beyond the vegetable garden. The old pasture is being invaded by oaks, maples, walnut, sassafras, and ash on the side near the woods, and on the other side by whatever it is our neighbor planted years ago.   But there is still plenty of open space near the middle.

    Closer to the house we have sugar maple, oak (both white and red), hackberry, cherry (not all of which are appreciated).  The large ash have all died, thanks to emerald ash borer.  Maple sap can be a problem but the one that shaded some of our parking spots was cut down 20 years ago. Oh, I forgot the mulberries that grow like weeds. They can be a nuisance, but I don’t want to eliminate them entirely.  From what I read about tulip poplars, they are  not something I wanted in the yard.

    A few years ago I picked up hickory nuts on my bicycle rides and left them in piles for the squirrels to plant for me. No results so far.  I wouldn’t mind having some.  The squirrels did too good a job planting a few wheelbarrows full of walnuts for me out back. Now I’m kept busy removing them with the brush cutter.

    We have a monster walnut tree in our yard between our house and the old barn. A timber buyer used to stop by every year and offer my wife money for it. His last offer was $7,000 but she told him no. If he ever stopped by again, I think I’d take whatever he offered if he’d take it and one other large one in our front yard.  Our neighbors across the street are against us getting rid of it (at least the Mrs. is)  but they aren’t the ones who might have some damages done to house and vehicles if it comes down in a storm. They also think the old barn I want to tear down is picturesque. It isn’t, really.  

    • #23
  24. TBA Coolidge
    TBA
    @RobtGilsdorf

    The Reticulator (View Comment):

    They also think the old barn I want to tear down is picturesque. It isn’t, really.

    Be careful they don’t declare it a Historic Landmark. 

    • #24
  25. fidelio102 Inactive
    fidelio102
    @fidelio102

    In April 2017 the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung published a study of the origin of the “Lutheran” quote, which concluded that it was promulgated by a Lutheran pastor in 1944 to illustrate that, despite Germany lying in ruins at the end of the war, some form of hope (the apple tree) should inspire his congregation.

    The full article

    https://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/menschen/stammt-der-spruch-ueber-den-apfelbaum-gar-nicht-von-luther-14967938.html

     

     

     

     

    • #25
  26. Dill Inactive
    Dill
    @Dill

    fidelio102 (View Comment):

    In April 2017 the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung published a study of the origin of the “Lutheran” quote, which concluded that it was promulgated by a Lutheran pastor in 1944 to illustrate that, despite Germany lying in ruins at the end of the war, some form of hope (the apple tree) should inspire his congregation.

    The full article

    https://www.faz.net/aktuell/gesellschaft/menschen/stammt-der-spruch-ueber-den-apfelbaum-gar-nicht-von-luther-14967938.html

     

     

     

    Thank you! That makes sense. 

    • #26
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