The seed you plant today bears the fruit you'll reap tomorrow. I was watching the movie The Lorax last night, and it raises so many questions and highlights crucial elements that dictate the direction of our society. Dr. Seuss is an amazing writer and has various lessons engrained throughout all of his works of art.

Growing a plant is a difficult thing to do. You need to contemplate greatly the fruit you wish to reap or the plant you wish to grow, nurture the seed to a seedling, grow it to a strong enough state to transplant into a larger pot or in the ground, then continue to care for it until it bears fruit and forever into the future, as long as you wish to bear those fruits. The metaphor for planting a seed is a strong reflection of our lives and the potential to both plant a seed that bears positive returns or one that can produce negative outcomes that can swallow your mind.

In The Lorax, an entrepreneur called the Once-ler finds the truffula trees and creates a product called a snee to sell to the masses. The snee is made of the leaves of the tree, so in order to produce them, he needs to chop down a tree. He chops one, and instantly the Lorax appears and warns him of the destruction he will cause. He shrugs it off, and as demand for the snee increases, he becomes captured by the golden handcuffs and moves production into full swing and begins chopping down every tree in sight. As the trees fall, the animals are uprooted from their homes, and the money pours in. The destruction of the areas continues until the last tree is cut, the last animal is gone, the last snee is sold, and subsequently the man is finished. The seed this man chooses to plant was one of pure greed and aspiration at the demise of others around him. He was so focused on a non-definitive objective that he failed to calculate his risks and consider the impact of others around him.

Years later, a young boy hears of the Once-ler and the myth of ‘trees’. He figures out where he lives and proceeds to meet him to hear his story. Once he completes his story, he passes the last seed of a tree that was left for the boy to try and sow. The boy's mindset shifts to creating and restoring an environment that once was for the people he cares for.

The Lorax teaches us valuable lessons about the importance of the seeds we choose to plant and how they can directly affect the fruit we will eventually reap. It emphasizes the significance of sowing seeds with good intentions and caring for them with your utmost attention, as this will lead to positive returns and contribute to the creation of happiness. On the other hand, it is a warning against the dangers of planting seeds driven by greed and bad intentions, these will inevitably lead to negative results and prevent happiness, or create a shallow and short form of happiness. The movie reminds us that the decisions we take now dictate the future we create for ourselves and the world.

Sow the right seeds and you will bear the right fruits. Lay the foundation of the person you wish to become and the live you wish to live and you will be on the path in the search for happiness

“Life is like a garden, you reap what you sow” - Paulo Coelho

Kind wishes,

Dean