The Photo Meditation of the Month (June, 2010): HEADLESSNESS

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A headless taal (palmyra) tree at Dakkhin Rajnagar
Village in Gazipur District, Bangladesh

Photo (1981) © Jerome D'Costa

Trees become headless by lightning strikes, being battered by storms, being cut by humans, or being affected by boring bugs. This particular taal (palmyra) tree lost its head due to bug attacks. Although it lost its head, this tree is quite sturdy and strong. The owner will cut it and make a good use of this tree. Possible uses could be: one half of the tree from top to bottom could be made into a dugout, called kunda. The other half could be made into planks and use them in making a house or place a plank or two over a ditch to create a make-shift bridge. By being headless, it lost its beauty, it lost its life.

Metaphorically, we also become headless when we behave irrationally, illogically, irreverently. We become headless when we put down people, act with abnormal pride, hate people, create senseless anarchy, and behave too much emotionally and selfishly. In a sense, we don't use our head. We become blind to our humanness as well as humaneness.

As the best creation of God, we need to use our head, we need to use all the good qualities that God endowed us with so that we may create an atmosphere of love and peace in this world. For this very purpose, we need to be filled with the love of God and love of our neighbours. Then, and then only, can we become 'headful' or 'headed' persons.